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FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 


\- 


ropyriglit,  I'.iiiT,  r.  F.  Collie* 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF 
GASOLINE 


BY 

MORRIS  B.  WELLS 


w^ 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1911,  By 
DODD.  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

Published,  April,  1911 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE 

Five  Gallons  of  Gasoline  was  written  by  the  antlior 
whose  name  appears  on  the  title  page  in  collaboration 
with  a  well-known  writer,  who,  for  reasons  connected 
with  the  publication  of  another  work  entirely  his  own,  did 
not  wish  to  have  his  name  appear  in  the  present  volume. 


2138744   * 


To  Patrick  H,  W.  Ross,  our  gemal  and  lovable 
friend,  whose  many  admirable  ways  and  whose 
steady  British  calm  formed  an  inspiration  for 
one  of  our  favoured  characters,  this  hook  is 
affectionately  dedicated  by  the  Authors, 


CONTENTS 

PAQB 

Chapter  I 

It's  Easy  Enough  to  Economise  When  One  Does 

Not  Want  to  Buy  .      ....     ,.,    ,.     ,.,       1 

Chapter  II 
BiDDLESON  Presses  the  Button       ..     .,     .„     „.     ,„     21 

Chapter  III 

Biggs  Demonstrates  that  an  Active  Barome- 
ter IS  Better  than  an  Almanac  for  Every- 
day Use     .............     .     32 

Chapter  IV 

A  Tempest  in  a  Teapot  May  be  Fierce  While  it 

Lasts .     56 

Chapter  V 

The  Ladies  are  Present  at  the  Initial  Per- 
formance OF  the  Durable      .     ,.     ,.,     .      .     69 

Chapter  VI 

BiDDLEsoN  Enlarges  His  Knowledge  of  Mechan- 
ics   ,:        ,.,        ,.i         .         :.;        ,.,         84) 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  VII 
A  Ride  in  Mrs.  Thompson's  Car      .,     ,.,    ^    w     r«  106 

Chapter  VIII 
Matrimonial  Manoeuvres     .....     „;     ,..     .    139 

Chapter  IX 
BiDDLEsoN  Makes  the  Coffee   .      .     ,..     „■,     ,     „   i62 

Chapter  X 
Dorothy's  Triumph  .....,.,    ,.,    ,.,    ..  191 

Chapter  XI 
Dorothy  Explains     .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .213 

Chapter  XII 
The  Professor  Loses  His  Suit  Case     .      .      .,     .   229 

Chapter  XIII 
Biggs  Makes  it  East  for  the  Professor    .,    ,.,     ,.  249 

Chapter  XIV 
His  Brother,  Adolphus  !      .      .      .     ,.,    ,.,     .,     .  266 

Chapter  XV 
More  Matrimonial  Man(euvres     .     ,...     „    ,„     .   283 


CONTENTS 

rjuaa 
Chapter  XVI 

Biggs  Pulls  Off  a  Beal  Storm       «     ■     ■     h     ..  298! 

Chapter  XVII 
Biggs  Borrows  Mrs.  Thompson's  Car  .     ,.i    i^    ..  813. 

Chapter  XVIII 
Biggs  Gives  Up  His  Position     .      .      .     >     ...     ..  SS$ 


CHAPTER  I 

it's  easy  enough  to  economise  when  one 
does  not  want  to  buy 

"You  can't  show  me  one  good  reason,"  de- 
clared Harkaway  explosively.  "  If  you  can, 
for  heaven's  sake  trot  it  out!" 

Biddleson  looked  helplessly  at  him. 

"  You  see.  Hark,"  he  slowly  began,  in  a  du- 
bious tone,  "my  wife  objects  awfully  to  the 
smell  of  gasoline.  And  besides,  she'd  say  1 
was  spending  money!" 

"  Well,  how  can  you  get  a  car  without  spend- 
ing money?  "  retorted  Harkaway,  unappeased. 
"  Do  you  think  anyone's  going  to  trust  you  on 
your  face?" 

Biddleson  mournfully  shook  his  head,  and 
made  one  of  those  incomprehensible  replies,  so 
frequent  in  married  men. 

"  A  fellow  mustn't  spend  money,  you  know,'* 
he  insisted  obstinately,  as  much  as  to  infer 


a  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

that  spending  money  was  a  gross  extravagance, 
and  wasn't  being  done  by  the  best  people. 

"Bah!"  said  Harkaway,  in  disgust,  for  it 
looked  as  if  the  matter  were  settled;  "spend- 
ing money  is  the  least  of  my  troubles!'* 

Biddleson  and  Harkaway  had  been  mak- 
ing up  their  minds  for  several  months  to  buy 
an  automobile.  Each  had  finally  picked  out  his 
favourite  machine,  and  carried  the  catalogue 
describing  it  wherever  he  went,  ready  to  point 
out  its  special  advantages  at  any  moment  that 
the  automobile  subject  might  come  up. 

But  Biddleson's  statement  about  spending 
money  had  a  sort  of  finality,  somehow.  Hark- 
away couldn't  dispute  it;  and  He  had  learned 
that  when  Biddleson  brought  Mrs.  Biddleson's 
opinion  forward,  there  was  usually  an  end  to 
debate. 

"  Didn't  we  decide  that  it  was  the  only  thing 
to  do?"  asked  Harkaway,  pluckily  returning 
to  the  charge.  "  Didn't  I  agree  that  we  would 
get  that  three  cylindered  monstrosity  you  in- 
sisted upon?  And  here,  after  I  give  in  and 
submit  to  your  bull-headed  assumption  that 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  3 

you  know  it  all,  you  go  and  object  because  it 
costs  money ! " 

"  Anyway,  it  will  cost  less  with  the  machine 
I  picked  out! "  Biddleson  said,  brightening  up 
a  little. 

"That's  right,"  replied  Harkaway,  as 
heartily  as  he  could.  "The  'Durable'  is  a 
good  car  for  the  money;  and  as  you  say,  she's 
economical  of  gasoline." 

Secretly,  though,  Harkaway  didn't  think 
much  of  the  "  Durable,"  in  spite  of  a  remarka- 
ble contrivance,  described  at  great  length  in 
the  catalogue,  which  Biddleson  was  always 
talking  about.  Biddleson  had  chosen  the  Dur- 
able particularly  because  of  this  contraption  — 
the  "jigger,"  he  called  it  —  which  was  a  great 
saver  of  gasoline. 

As  far  as  one  could  understand  from  Biddle- 
son's  explanations,  if  you  "used"  the  jigger 
right,  the  Durable  would  run  farther  on  a  gal- 
lon of  gasoline  than  any  other  car  that  took  a 
larger  quantity  to  go  the  same  distance.  Ac- 
cording to  Harkaway,  the  "jigger"  was  a 
dinky  little   affair  right  alongside  the   seat 


4  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

where  you  couldn't  find  it  because  the  lap  robe 
was  in  the  way,  and  you  turned  it,  according  tq 
what  the  catalogue  said,  one  way  going  up  hill, 
and  a  little  more  the  same  way  on  a  foggy 
morning,  and  back  again  when  the  engine  got 
hot,  and  stiU  another  way  in  a  high  altitude. 
Harkaway  didn't  seem  to  think  this  last  ma- 
noeuvre would  count  for  much,  because  he  more 
than  suspected  that  the  Durable  couldn't 
climb  high  enough  to  make  it  pay.  And  be- 
sides this,  he  told  Biddleson  that  while  he  was 
messing  around  trying  to  find  the  jigger  he 
would  miss  the  road  and  run  into  a  well,  or  a 
hajrrake,  or  a  cow,  and  it  would  cost  more  than 
a  whole  tankful  of  gasoline  to  square  up.  It 
was  the  day  on  which  Biddleson  had  left  his 
catalogue  at  home  and  was  helpless  that  Hark- 
away  brought  up  this  point ;  and  when  he  met 
Harkaway  every  time  thereafter  until  the  end 
of  the  week  Biddleson  talked  steadily  of  some 
"Investments"  he  thought  were  good,  or  of 
a  house  he  intended  building,  or  of  some  other 
obnoxious  way  he  had  of  disposing  of  his  spare 
capital,  utterly  refusing  to  be  turned  aside. 


FIVt:  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  5 

This  was  unbearable,  and  by  Sunday  Hark- 
away  was  ready  to  capitulate  and  agree  that 
the  jigger  greatly  lessened  gasohne  consump- 
tion, and  as  the  jigger  was  an  exclusively  Dur- 
able feature,  naturally  they  would  have  to  buy 
a  Durable. 

"You  bet  she's  a  good  car,"  Biddleson  re- 
sponded with  enthusiasm,  seeing  that  he  was 
going  to  have  his  own  way,  "  and  what's  more, 
you  can  get  at  it!  You  can  change  front 
sprockets  in  five  minutes  and  take  out  the 
transmission  in  ten." 

"What  in  Hades  do  you  want  to  take  the 
transmission  out  for.  Bid?"  asked  Harkaway, 
somewhat  dubious  as  to  the  advantage  of  that 
mechanism's  extreme  accessibility. 

"  Why  —  er  —  er  —  what  do  I  want  to  take 
out  the  transmission  for?"  Biddleson  repeated 
confusedly.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  didn't 
know  a  planetary  transmission  from  a  leather 
belt.  When  he  and  Harkaway  took  the  first 
step  in  buying  an  auto  by  acquiring  seven  dif- 
ferent catalogues  each,  Biddleson  had  the  idea 
that  the  transmission  gear  was  part  of  the 


6  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

steering  apparatus,  because  two  rods  that 
went  forward  to  the  front  wheels  crossed  each 
other;  ''Trans,  across,  you  know,"  the  "mis- 
sion" part  of  it  was  entirely  beyond  him. 
Biddleson  had  studied  Latin  in  his  school  days 
and  it  was  a  pleasant  recollection  with  him. 
"  All  Gaul  is  divided  into  three  parts,"  he  used 
to  quote  sonorously,  in  the  original,  when  he 
had  a  good  chance.  The  fact  that  an  auto 
could  be  divided  into  a  thousand  parts,  either 
voluntarily,  or  accidentally,  was  probably 
what  determined  Biddleson  in  his  choice  be- 
tween a  gasoline  engine  and  a  horse. 

"  What  do  I  want  to  take  the  transmission 
out  for?"  he  repeated  a  second  time,  glaring 
at  Harkaway,  and  angry  with  himself  because 
he  didn't  know  the  answer.  "  Why,  to  put  it 
back  again,  you  gump.  WTiat  does  anyone 
take  a  transmission  out  for?  " 

"Never  mind,  old  man,"  Harkaway  said 
soothingly.  "  Some  day  I'll  be  glad  you  know 
how  to  do  it.  When  the  flywheel  won't  go 
round,  we  can  take  out  the  transmission  and  see 
if  anything's  stuck,  and,  besides,  you  can  take 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  7 

it  out  and  show  it  to  Mrs.  Biddleson.  She'll  be 
tickled  to  death  with  those  cute  little  wheels, 
she " 

"0-o-oh!"  groaned  Biddleson  uneasily,  a 
look  of  sad  remembrance  spreading  over  his 
countenance  like  the  gloom  of  departing  day, 
*'  I  forgot  my  wife.  You  know,  Harkaway,'* 
he  said  anxiously,  "  the  fact  is  I  never  said  any- 
thing to  Miriam  about  this  motor  business. 
It's  our  little  surprise,  you  know,  and  it  would 
not  do  to  spring  it  prematurely.  You  get  me^ 
don't  you?  When  we  are  all  ready  we'll  an- 
nounce our  intentions  firmly  and  then  go 
ahead.  Miriam  can  say  what  she  pleases,  but 
she'll  find  it's  too  late." 

"  Yessir!"  continued  Biddleson  in  tones  of 
unalterable  resolve.  "  I've  made  up  my  mind 
I'm  going  to  have  some  fun  once  in  a  while, 
and  when  she  gets  through  talking  she  can  — 

she    can "     He    stopped.     "You    know 

how  it  is,  Harkaway,"  he  burst  out  after  a  mo- 
ment's painful  reflection,  "  Miriam  always  has 
a  great  deal  to  say,  and  —  and,  of  course,  you 
understand,  old  man,  I  love  my  wife  just  as 


8  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

much  as  I  ever  did.  She's  a  mighty  good  old 
girl,  just  as  good  as  any  man's  wife!  You 
know,  Hark,  I  wouldn't  say  anytliing  against 
her  for  the  world.  But  you're  not  married,  or 
j'-ou'd  have  some  idea  how  I  feel.  Now,  when 
you  feel  like  going  anywhere,  you  go;  and 
when  you  want  anything,  you  get  it.  Some- 
times, Hark,  I  wish  —  I  wish  that " 

Biddleson  did  not  finish.  He  thought  this 
time  of  that  darkened  period,  the  bitter  six 
months  when  he  was  recovering  from  a  malig- 
nant attack  of  typhoid ;  he  remembered  the  ht- 
tle  kindergarten  that  his  wife  strove  to  main- 
tain, the  drawing  lessons  she  gave,  even  though 
she  couldn't  draw  herself;  he  was  thinking  and 
he  knew  .that  Harkaway  knew  that  he  was 
thinking — he  knew  that  Harkaway  knew  that 
he  knew  that  Harkaway  knew  he  was  think- 
ing of  the  complete  collapse  of  his  cour- 
age when  their  little  fortune  was  all  but  lost. 
Neither  of  them  could  forget  the  indom- 
itable and  sweet  fortitude  of  Miriam  during 
that  critical  period.  It  wasn't  hard  to  recall, 
either,  how  Miriam  had  humbled  herself  be- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  9 

fore  Mrs.  Thompson,  the  wife  of  the  president 
of  the  bank  where  Biddleson  was  now  cashier. 
How  they  both  hated  Mrs.  Thompson! 
Biddleson's  hatred  was,  of  course,  of  a  subtle 
and  silent  type,  as  became  his  position  in  the 
bank;  Harkaway's  was  of  the  open,  violent 
sort.  Doing  business  with  the  other  bank, 
Harkaway  was  at  liberty  to  hate  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son as  freely  and  conspicuously  as  he  wished 
without  fear  of  financial  embarrassment.  It 
is  possible  that  this  mutual  feeling  was  not 
only  unchristian  but  vicious.  Perhaps  they 
should  both  have  been  grateful  to  Mrs. 
Thompson.  As  a  matter  of  fact  they  had  been 
grateful  w^hen  Biddleson  got  his  job  as  book- 
keeper in  the  Farmer  and  Fisherman's  Bank 
through  the  efforts — machinations,  they  called 
them  now — of  Mrs.  Thompson.  Their  grati- 
tude had  continued  unabated  tiU  it  became 
clear  that  ISIrs.  Thompson's  philanthropy  was 
merely  a  dastardly  scheme  which  enabled  her 
to  look  down  from  a  superior  social  height 
upon  the  wife  of  her  husband's  employe.  Be- 
fore that  time  any  attempt  in  Tidewater  to 


10  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

look  down  on  Miriam  had  been  achieved  from 
purely  physical  altitudes.  Her  visiting  cards 
had  read,  in  beautiful  copper-plate,  "Mrs. 
Ezra  de  Poe  Biddleson."  It  was  during  their 
honeymoon  that  jVIiriam  had  wished  to  make  it 
Esra.  She  said  it  looked  more  foreign  and 
romantic,  but  Biddleson  wouldn't  have  it. 
"  Ezra,"  he  maintained,  was  a  good  old  family 
name  that  "  suited  him  plenty,"  and  as  for 
genealogy  it  had  that  old  Spanish  swashbuckler 
of  hers,  De  Poe,  backed  into  the  coal  hole. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  famous  De  Poe  an- 
cestor had  not  been  a  Spaniard  at  all;  instead, 
he  had  been  a  Frenchman  with  six  girls'  names 
in  front  of  the  De  Poe  and  a  castle  somewhere 
which  was  of  no  use  to  him,  as  he  hadn't  money 
to  hire  people  to  sweep  it  and  paint  it  and  put 
a  new  roof  on  it  when  it  rained.  At  least  that 
was  the  reason  everybody  gave  for  his  marry- 
ing Miriam's  other  ancestor,  ISIiriam  Hicks, 
whose  father  ran  a  store  up  at  Tidewater. 
The  Spanish  part  of  the  ancestry,  such  as  it 
was,  came  from  Ferdinand  de  Poe,  the  first 
De  Poe's  son,  who  kept  what  Kttle  money  his 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  11 

father  left  him  and  spent  all  his  time  trying  to 
live  the  genteel  life  and  imitate  his  grandfather 
in  the  old  castle  in  France  or  Lombardy  or  on 
the  Rhine  (Miriam  was  never  quite  sure  of  its 
location,  but  it  was  safe  to  say  it  was  a  castle  in 
Spain)  and  succeeded  in  making  himself  as 
iine  a  forefather  as  anyone  in  Tidewater 
could  wish.  Not  that  Ferdinand  was  any 
more  Spanish  than  his  father,  only  his  name 
appeared  to  Miriam  to  be  pure  Castilian,  be- 
sides being  manly  and  belHgerent  and  socially 
correct. 

And  this  Ferdinand  de  Poe  (to  straighten 
the  whole  matter  out  once  for  all)  had  given 
his  name  to  the  bay  just  beyond  Tidewater, 
where  the  Pacific  went  in  and  out  by  tides  and 
washed  the  front  doorstep  of  the  De  Poe  man- 
sion, which  still  stands  back  of  the  little  bay 
beach  among  the  hemlocks.  Ferdinand  was 
not  only  the  godfather  of  the  little  sound  on 
which  Tidewater  slept,  but  was  Miriam's 
grandfather  as  well,  so  that  she  had  always 
been  known  as  "  one  of  the  De  Poes."  When 
she  married  Biddleson  it  was  generally  under- 


12  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

stood  that  Bid  was  lucky  to  get  into  such  a 
good  family  and  the  De  Poes  were  rather  con- 
doled with  because  Miriam  had  married  a  plain 
American.  Miriam's  father  seemed  to  think 
this  was  a  joke,  but  as  he  died  soon  after,  this 
error  was  overlooked,  and  Miriam  couldn't 
have  wished  for  more  sympathy  and  respect 
if  she  had  had  six  genuine  Spanish  ancestors. 
Some  of  the  people  of  Tidewater  thought 
Miriam  enjoyed  her  forefathers  really  more 
than  was  just  to  Biddleson;  but  this  was  quite 
natural,  considering  the  great  social  prestige 
they  gave  her;  whereas  Biddleson  was  just 
Biddleson  and  everybody  knew  just  what  kind 
of  a  chap  he  was  and  how  much  money  he  had. 
It  is  true  she  had  raised  Biddleson  to  her  own 
level  for  a  while.  She  had  ironed  out  and 
starched  his  name,  insisted  on  his  being  paid 
exactly  the  respect  that  she  required  for  her- 
self and  managed  to  impress  on  Tidewater 
that  her  husband  had  certain  claims  to  social 
distinction  himself.  For  some  months  after 
they  were  married,  the  rumour  was  around  that 
Biddleson  once  had  a  grandfather  who  had 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  13 

been  ashamed  of  him,  or  an  uncle  who  had  re- 
fused to  recognise  him,  or  something  of  that 
sort,  the  idea  being  that  even  if  Biddleson  were 
a  poor  worm  himself,  there  had  been  those  in 
his  family  who  once  breathed  a  loftier  atmos- 
phere, and,  classically  speaking,  were  "some 
pumpkins."  But  this  passed  away,  the  rumour 
having  no  foundation  in  fact,  and  Miriam  was 
reluctantly  obliged  to  let  him  slip  back  into  his 
own  social  rank  as  a  hopeless  case. 

When  at  last  Miriam  fully  realised  that  she 
was  only  JNIrs.  Biddleson,  the  wife  of  a  clerk 
in  the  bank,  and  not  Mrs.  Ezra  de  Poe  Bid- 
dleson the  haughty  queen  of  Tidewater's  so- 
cially elect,  her  calling  cards  suffered  a  sudden 
diminution  in  elegance.  They  were  now 
printed  in  plebeian  type  and  read:  "Mrs.  E. 
D.  Biddleson."  While  they  were  distinctly 
legible  and  a  means  of  complete  identification, 
they  could  not  be  considered  a  passport  to  the 
sacred  circle  of  Tidewater's  upper  ten. 

Tidewater — particularly  feminine  Tidewater 
— had  felt  sorry  for  Mrs.  Biddleson.  "  Poor 
thing! "  it  said,  "  and  from  such  a  good  family. 


14)  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

too.  Don't  you  think  we'd  better  call?  "  But 
it  didn't  call;  neither  did  Miriam  with  her 
cheap  pasteboard  cards.  Who,  for  example, 
in  the  olden  days  would  have  had  the  temerity 
to  intrude  upon  the  ever  socially  correct  Mrs. 
Ezra  de  Poe  Biddleson  with  notliing  to  pre- 
sent as  a  talisman  but  a  dollar  a  hundred  card? 
Certainly  not  the  then  submissive  but  socially 
ambitious  Mrs.  Thompson  whose  social  star  had 
been  slow  to  rise. 

When  Biddleson  got  to  be  teller,  the  printed 
cards  went  into  the  fire  and  Miriam  shifted  her 
social  clutch  to  the  intermediate  speed  and  be- 
came Mrs.  Ezra  D.  P.  Biddleson.  Thus  she 
remained,  not  too  patiently  biding  her  time 
when  she  could  resume  the  aristocratic  copper- 
plate without  endangering  her  husband's  job. 
Then,  oh,  certainly  then,  she  would  put  Mrs.  T. 
back  where  she  belonged.  She  remembered 
and  would  never  forget  the  bitterest  time  of 
all,  and  this  was  the  time  when  Ezra  and  Hark- 
away  violently  and  explosively  invented  and 
instantly  ca^st  away  as  unworthy  numberless 
schemes  of  vengeance  upon  the  now  acknowl- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  15 

edged  social  leader  of  Tidewater.  Mrs. 
Thompson,  the  execrable  Mrs.  T.,  the  super- 
cilious and  ancestoress  Mrs.  Thompson,  the 
malignant  upstart  had  dared  to  write  to  Mir- 
iam a  note  addressed  to  Mrs.  Ez.  Depot  Bid- 
dleson ! 

How  easy  it  was  to  despise  Mrs.  Thompson! 

In  view  of  this  deep-rooted  and  never-end- 
ing conflict  between  Mrs.  Biddleson  and  Mrs. 
T.  one  feature  of  the  Durable  that  particu- 
larly recommended  the  car  to  Biddleson 
was  a  detachable  tonneau  that  could  be  re- 
placed by  an  up-to-date  rumble  seat  that  made 
the  Durable  look  like  a  three  thousand  doUar 
forty-horse  power  roadster.  At  least  it  looked 
that  way  in  the  catalogue.  So  far  no  one  in 
Tidewater  had  been  progressive  enough  to 
buy  a  Durable.  And  in  addition  to  this  Bid- 
dleson had  it  figured  out  that  if  they  bought 
two  sets  of  wheels,  one  yellow,  the  other  ma- 
roon, people  would  think  Miriam  had  two  cars 
— ^just  like  Mrs.  Thompson.  Or  by  leaving 
off  the  rumble  seat  and  the  tonneau  and  sub- 
stituting a  trunk  with  a  brass  lock  and  trim- 


16  FIVE  GAULONS  OF  GASOLINE 

mings,  they  might  possibly  achieve  the  repu- 
tation of  having  three,  something  that  even 
the  president's  wife  couldn't  attain.  Biddle- 
son  had  a  way  of  being  outrageously  extrava- 
gant at  very  little  expense,  and  when  it  came  to 
'supporting  Miriam's  social  aspirations,  he  was 
quite  capable  of  spending  some  extra  money, 
even. 

"By  George!"  exclaimed  Biddleson  excit- 
edly, after  a  long  silence  in  which  these  things 
were  thought  over,  "it's  just  struck  me  how 
we  might  work  it." 

Harkaway  remained  calm,  for  he  knew  that 
whatever  his  friend  was  thinking  about  he  had 
had  it  on  his  mind  for  a  long  time,  and  had  been 
afraid  to  mention  it.  Years  of  rigid  suppres- 
,  sion  under  Miriam  had  made  spontaneity,  with 
Biddleson,  a  thing  of  previous  preparation  and 
careful  planning. 

"The  other  day,"  he  continued,  stealthily 
laying  the  grounds  for  his  play,  hke  the  poker 
player  who  draws  onlj^  one  card  when  he  has 
three  of  a  kind,  "  Miriam  and  I  were  out  walk- 
ing when  Mrs.  Thompson  dusted  by  in  that 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  IT 

new  red  car  of  theirs,  and  I  said  something 
about  a  cylinder  missing.  Miriam,  she — you 
know  how  Miriam  looks  when  she  thinks 
you're  up  to  something — stopped  right  short 
and  demanded:  'How  did  you  know  what 
was  the  matter  with  that  car,  Rae  Biddle- 
son?'" 

"You  know  I  wouldn't  lie  to  my  wife, 
Harkaway.  We've  been  married  ten  years 
and  I've  never  hed  to  her  yet  I  But  we  don't 
have  to  tell  everything  we  know,  so  I  said, 
*  Why,  Harkaway,  he  knows  a  lot  about  such 
things;  in  fact  he  is  thinking  of  buying  one. 
He '  Here  Harkaway  emitted  a  chok- 
ing sound,  and  Biddleson  went  on  hastily: 
"  I'm  telling  you  just  how  the  thing  happened. 
Hark,  so  you'll  understand.  Miriam  never 
would  let  me  finish  a  sentence. 

"  You  should  have  heard  her!  *  Harkaway! ' 
she  snorted.  *  It's  always  Harkaway!  You've 
been  listening  to  another  of  these  perfectly 
silly  ideas  of  his.  He  is  always  going  to  buy 
something.  Why,  he  was  going  to  buy  the 
Cliff  House  in  San  Francisco  once  and  tear  it 


18  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

down  because  he  didn't  like  the  looks  of  it !  If 
it  hadn't  fallen  into  the  ocean,  or  burned,  he'd 
have  telegraphed  the  mayor,  or  somebody,  for 
an  option,  or  whatever  he  calls  those  things 
that  he  gets  and  never  manages  to  take  up. 
Tom  Harkaway  hasn't  any  money  to  waste  on 
an  automobile,  Rae,  and  you  know  it.' 

"  Perhaps  I  made  a  mistake,  Harkaway,  but 
I  had  to  say  something,"  Biddleson  explained 
apologetically.  " '  Oh,  yes,  he  has,'  I  said. 
'Anyway,  he's  got  enough  to  pay  his  share 
in ' 

"'Share!'  she  screeched.  'Share  in  what, 
Rae  Biddleson?' 

"  On  the  level  I  thought  it  was  all  off,  old 
man,  but  it  wasn't.  I  didn't  have  to  lie,  either. 
I'm  not  so  slow  myself,  sometimes,"  said  Bid- 
dleson proudly. 

" '  You  see,  it's  this  way,'  I  told  her.  I  had 
to  fake  up  some  sort  of  a  con  in  a  hurry. 
'  Harkaway's  been  talking  of  a  little  proposi- 
tion, but  it  didn't  look  like  much  to  me,  and  I 
didn't  think  it  worth  mentioning^  but  now ' 

"  *  You  needn't  waste  your  time  talking  to 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  19 

me  of  Tom  Harkaway's  preposterous  proposi- 
tions,' she  sniffed  right  out.  '  Proposition! 
how  I  hate  that  word.  It  always  makes  me 
think  of  an  offer  of  marriage.  Harkaway's 
forever  talking  of  his  "  propositions,"  but  I 
never  heard  of  any  that  amounted  to  a  row  of 
pins.  When  he  settles  down,  if  he  ever  does, 
he'll  wish  he'd  saved  his  money.  The  first 
time  I  get  a  chance,'  she  said,  and  say,  old  man, 
she  was  hot  under  the  collar  all  right,  '  I'U  tell 
Tom  Harkaway  exactly  what  I  think  of  him.' " 
Harkaway  groaned.  "I'm  afraid  I've  got 
you  into  trouble.  Hark,  old  boy,"  continued 
Biddleson,  apprehensively.  "Another  thing, 
too,  I  shouldn't  be  a  bit  surprised  if  Miriam  in- 
tended to  marry  you  off.  Why,  she'd  marry 
me  to  someone  else  if  she  didn't  have  to  die  to 
do  it.  Miriam  never  gives  up  at  match  mak- 
ing. If  she  has  any  particular  girl  in  mind, 
you'd  better  take  to  the  woods  until  she  gets 
rid  of  her.  I  guess  you're  safe,  though,  unless 
— unless — Dorothy — ^no,  I  guess  she's  too 
young.  You  never  saw  my  wife's  little  sister, 
did  you.  Hark?     I  haven't  seen  the  kid  myself 


20  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

for  quite  a  while.  Miriam  likes  you,  old  man, 
in  spite  of  what  she  says.  She  looks  a  long 
way  ahead,  though,  and  Dorothy  is  the  only 
one  left.  She  must  be  a  cute  little  kid — and 
— no,  no!  of  course  not.  You  couldn't  marry 
that  baby,  an  old  fellow  like  you.  Anyway, 
Harkaway,  you  can  see  it's  up  to  you  to  clear 
up  that  auto  matter.  Come  home  to  dinner 
with  me;  I  told  Miriam  I  might  ask  you.  If 
it's  a  good  dinner,  she'll  be  proud  of  it,  and 
that'll  give  you  a  chance  to  lead  up.  You  can 
tell  her  that  you  wanted  me  to  go  in  with  you 
on  buying  an  auto,  but  that  I  wouldn't  even 
tliink  of  it.  That'll  put  her  on  your  side 
right  at  the  start.  Tell  her — tell  her — oh,  it 
isn't  necessary  for  me  to  give  you  pointers  on 
what  to  tell  her.  I'll  press  the  button  at  the 
right  time  and  you  can  do  the  rest." 


CHAPTER  II 

BIDDLESON  PRESSES  THE  BUTTON 

As  Biddleson  had  hopefully  prophesied,  it  was 
a  good  dinner  and  five  courses.  Harkaway 
would  have  enjoyed  it,  had  it  not  been  for  Bid- 
dleson. The  blundering  idiot  "pressed  the 
button"  too  soon.  Harkaway,  never  argu- 
mentative when  dining,  felt  particularly  ec- 
static after  cream  of  celery  soup.  And  a  vista 
of  clam  fritters,  China  pheasant,  crab  salad 
and  so  on  raised  him  into  blissful  contemplation. 
As  the  last  spoonful  of  the  celestial  soup 
passed  his  lips  Biddleson  kicked  him  savagely 
on  the  shins  from  under  the  table — that  was  his 
way  of  pressing  the  button — at  the  same  time 
giving  him  a  knomng  look  as  much  as  to  say, 
"TsTow's  your  time." 

Harkaway  scowled  ferociously,  and  the  ex- 
pression wasn't  lost  on  his  hostess.  "What's 
the  matter,  Mr.  Harkaway?  "  she  inquired  anx- 

21 


22  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

iously.  "You  haven't  a  toothache,  have  you? 
We  have  some  oil  of  cloves;  that's  just  the 
thing  for " 

"  No,  Mrs.  Biddleson,"  Harkaway  interrup- 
ted manfully.  "  Only  a  slight  twinge.  I  suf- 
fer frightfully  sometimes,  though,  but  just 
now  I  was  thinking  of  the  soup  we  had  at  our 
boarding  house  last  night.  I  always  look  that 
way  when  I  think  of  a  boarding  house." 

"  Hope  it's  not  catching,"  put  in  Biddleson, 
facetiously.  "NTo  boarding  house  looks  in 
mine  I" 

The  next  course  being  clam  fritters,  Hark- 
away  cheered  up  greatly.  In  days  gone  by 
the  Biddleson  functions  had  become  celebrated 
for  the  clam  fritters  which  only  a  few  were 
aware  Miriam  prepared  herself.  But  her 
guest  had  scarcely  begun  on  these  delect- 
ables  when  Mrs.  Biddleson  exclaimed  sympa- 
thetically, "Do  let  me  get  you  the  oil  of 
cloves! "  Biddleson  had  just  pressed  the  but- 
ton again  and  accompanied  it  with  a  warning 
grimace.  Harkaway  recollected  himself  and 
returned,  "  So  good  of  you,  Mrs.  Biddleson. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  23 

Don't  think  of  it.  It  has  passed. — ^What  de- 
licious fritters ! " 

After  the  fritters  Harkaway  detected  an- 
other look  of  utter  imbecility  gathering  on  his 
host's  face.  Harkaway  knew  that  he  intended 
to  be  shrewd  and  illuminative,  and  that  in  a 
second  more  he  would  press  the  button,  as  he 
idiotically  called  it,  again.  Harkaway  raised 
his  foot  carefully  to  just  the  right  height  and 
Biddleson  barked  his  own  shins  and  was  silent 
till  the  coffee. 

"  That's  rather  a  handsome  car  of  the 
Thompsons',"  Harkaway  began,  forestalUng 
another  of  Biddleson's  signals  by  the  sixteenth 
part  of  a  second.  "  Don't  you  admire  it,  Mrs. 
Biddleson?" 

"  Very  much,"  Mrs.  Biddleson  replied  very 
calmly. 

Harkaway  was  disappointed.  By  rights, 
Miriam  should  have  consumed  ten  minutes  dis- 
cussing Mrs.  Thompson's  hats,  ancestors  and 
manners — ^things  she  never  could  forget  nor 
forgive.  In  face  of  her  disconcerting  calm 
Harkaway  took  another  tack:     "  She's  a  good 


g4  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

car,  too ;  has  plenty  of  speed.  But  she's  heavy 
on  her  feet  and  it  will  take  five  hundred  a  year 
for  tires.  Got  as  much  machinery  in  her  as  a 
sawmill.  And  the  amount  of  gasoline  those 
big  ice  wagons  will  eat  up  is  a  fright!  Ain't 
that  so,  Rae?" 

"  I  suppose  so.  I'll  take  your  word  for  it," 
Biddleson  said  weakly,  under  his  wife's  eyes. 

Harkaway  went  on : 

"Now  I  know  a  car  that'll  answer  all  the 
purposes  of  that  clumsy  oil  tank  of  the  Thomp- 
sons', and  it  wouldn't  cost  a  third  as  much. 
She  has  a  peach  of  a  carburetor.  Got  the  rec- 
ord for  mileage  on  five  gallons  of  gasoline, 
sealed  tank  contest.  The  judges  couldn't 
reach  the  other  cars  by  wireless  when  the  Dur- 
able finished.     Never  heard  of  'em  again!" 

"Now,  Rae,  here,"  Harkaway  continued, 
gazing  reproachfully  at  him,  "  wouldn't  have  a 
car,  not  even  a  Durable;  says  they  cost  too 
much ;  rather  have  a  horse ! " 

Harkaway  paused  and  then  went  on  boldly, 
"  I've  been  thinking,  Mrs.  Biddleson ;  I've 
been  thinking — er " 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  25 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Harkaway,  you've  been  thinking, 
you  said?" 

Miriam's  tone  suggested  that  thinking  was 
quite  a  novelty  for  Harkaway. 

"  I've  been  thinking,"  he  repeated,  not  quite 
so  boldly,  "  that— that " 

"  I  know,  Mr.  Harkaway,"  interrupted  Mir- 
iam sweetly,  cutting  the  Gordian  knot  with 
skill.  "You've  been  thinking  that  you  and 
Rae  would  buy  a  ear  together,  and  that  I 
didn't  know  anything  about  it.  Let  me  tell 
you  that  I  was  down  town  this  afternoon  and 
ordered  the  dearest,  stunningest  auto  coat  you 
ever  saw." 

"Ha  HA!  ha  HA!"  guffawed  Biddleson 
with  a  look  of  triumph.  "  Didn't  I  tell  you, 
Harkaway? "  Harkaway  hated  that  laugh, 
with  its  accent  on  the  second  "ha" — "You  re- 
member what  I  said,  Harkaway?" 

"Yes,  I  remember  what  you  said,"  Hark- 
away retorted  hotly,  though  he  didn't  know 
just  what  was  on  Biddleson's  mind  at  that 
minute — ^he  was  looking  for  a  chance  to  get 
even.     "It's  easy  enough  to  remember  what 


26  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

you  said,"  lie  went  on  in  a  menacing  manner. 
*'  You  said  that  your  wife  would  probably  put 
a  kibosh  on  the  whole  thing  because  it  was  too 
expensive,  and  then  you  invited  me  to  come  up 
here  and  make  an  ass  of  myself.  You've  tried 
to  let  on  that  I  was  doing  this  all  of  my  own 
accord,  when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  just 
to  please  you  that  I  consented  to  buy  the 
dinky  Durable  affair  that  you  insist  on." 

Mrs.  Biddleson  promptly  wanted  to  know  if 
it  was  a  Durable  that  Mrs.  Thompson  had. 
Biddleson  spoke  up  before  Harkaway  could 
stop  him.  "  Certainly  not,  Miriam.  Do  you 
suppose  I'm  going  to  sink  all  that  money  in  a 
car  that  is  only  good  for  town  streets  ?  Why, 
that  car  of  Thompson's  couldn't  make  the  road 
to  the  bay  if  someone  went  along  and  brought 
the  bay  to  it !  We're  going  to  have  a  machine 
that  will  run  on  any  kind  of  a  road.  Hark- 
away  and  I  wouldn't  have  any  use  for  such  a 
show  window  exhibit  as  that." 

Harkaway  had  thought  at  first  that  Biddle- 
son might  better  stop;  but  when  he  did  stop 
he  was  evidently  just  as  anxious  for  him  to  go 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  27 

on,  for  Miriam  looked  right  at  him  ^\dth  the 
eye  of  a  proprietor  of  a  matrimonial  bureau. 
"  I  should  think  you'd  better  be  preparing  for 
the  future,  Mr.  Harkaway,"  she  told  him 
mildly.  "  It's  all  right  for  Rae  here  to  get  a 
car  that  is  just  good  for  going  around  country 
roads  and  enjoying  oneself  in;  but  I'd  think 
you'd  want  something  styhsh  you  could  take 
out  somebody  to  ride  in,  and  save  hiring  a 
horse  and  carriage.  Rae  is  married  and  those 
things  don't  appeal  to  him,  but  for  a  young 
man  I'd  think  a  really  handsome  car  would  be 
a  splendid  investment." 

"  Hang  it ! "  said  Biddleson.  "  You  talk  as 
though  I  were  an  old  man,  Miriam.  Why, 
I'm  no  older  than  you  are,  and  Harkaway 
here " 

"  ^Ir.  Harkaway  isn't  married,"  Miriam  in- 
terrupted sweetly.  "And  what  he  needs  and 
what  you  need  are  two  different  things."  She 
turned  pleasantly  to  Harkaway  and  went  on, 
"  Now,  don't  you  let  him  impose  on  you,  Mr. 
Harkaway.  I  think  it's  a  shame  for  him  to 
try  and  convince  you  that  any  old  rattle-trap 


28  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

will  do  you.  As  if  you  wouldn't  want  to  take 
some  nice  girl  out  riding  ever  so  often !  And 
you  couldn't  do  it,  of  course,  unless  you  had 
a  car  that  would  look  well." 

"But  this  is  a  fine  car,"  Biddleson  put  in. 
*'  Isn't  that  so,  old  man?  Why,  we  picked  it 
out  because  it  was  such  a  good,  reliable,  power- 
ful machine  and  looked  well;  and  was  cheap 
besides." 

Harkaway  felt  that  he  must  help  his  friend 
out,  so  he  said,  "  It  isn't  the  price  you  pay  that 
makes  a  handsome  car,  Mrs.  Biddleson.  Now 
Mrs.  Thompson  probably  paid  four  thousand 
dollars  for  her  big,  ugly  machine,  while  this 
car  will  only  cost " 

The  look  on  Biddleson's  face  stopped  him. 
He  could  see  at  once  that  he  had  done  wrong. 
Of  course  Miriam  was  to  be  convinced  and 
converted,  but  he  could  discern  from  the  agony 
on  his  host's  countenance  that  the  price  was  a 
forbidden  subject.  He  tried  to  think  of  some 
way  to  change  the  conversation  from  the  price 
but  Miriam  was  waiting  and  finally  remarked, 
fixing  him  vrith  an  expectant  eye,  "  How  much 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  29 

did  you  say  this  car  youVe  picked  out  will 
cost?" 

Under  such  scrutiny  Harkaway's  mind  re- 
fused to  work  and  Biddleson  looked  entirely 
miserable  when  Harkaway  said  with  what 
calmness  he  could  muster,  "  Three  hundred 
dollars." 

Miriam  rose  to  fetch  a  fresh  pot  of  coffee 
and  while  she  was  gone  Biddleson  explained  to 
his  guest  that  he  was  an  ass  and  if  that  was  a 
sample  of  his  good  judgment  and  wisdom  and 
sagacity  he,  Biddleson,  was  glad  he  had  had 
sense  enough  to  pick  out  his  own  car  from  the 
catalogue.  "  After  telling  Miriam  that,  I  can 
see  that  it  would  be  your  nature  to  order  a  car 
without  a  carburetor  or  lamps,"  he  said.  "I 
wouldn't  be  at  all  surprised  if,  some  time,  you 
bought  a  four  thousand  dollar  car  and  then 
painted  it  over  with  shingle  stain  to  keep  it 
from  looking  expensive.  Now  you've  gone 
and  told  Miriam  that  that  car  will  cost  three 
hundred  dollars  when  my  share  alone  will  be 
seven  hundred.  How  am  I  going  to  explain 
now  that  I  must  spend  seven  hundred  to  buy 


30  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

one  half  of  a  three  hundred  dollar  auto?  You 
are  a  chump,  Harkaway." 

Harkaway  could  not  help  feehng  that  Bid- 
dleson  was  right;  though  it  occurred  to  him 
that  Biddleson  might  better  have  overcome 
Miriam's  objection  himself  without  dragging 
him  around  to  fix  things  up.  When  his  hos- 
tess returned  with  more  coffee  and  the  cheese 
he  cheered  up  and  tried  to  think  of  some  way 
of  introducing  the  subject  of  automobiles 
again,  with  special  reference  to  the  variation 
in  price  from  week  to  week.  But  Mrs.  Bid- 
dleson appeared  to  have  forgotten  all  about 
automobiles  until  the  cheese  had  been  enjoyed 
and  the  coffee  pot  looked  into  for  the  last 
time,  to  see  whether  there  was  the  polite  "  drop 
left."  Then  she  suddenly  remarked:  "Twice 
three  hundred  is  six  hundred  dollars.  Do  you 
really  think  we  can  get  a  nice  car  for  six  hun- 
dred dollars,  Mr.  Harkaway?" 

Biddleson  looked  so  relieved  that  Harkaway 
said  "  Yes,"  and  to  avoid  more  awkward  ques- 
tions talked  about  six  hundred  dollar  cars  till 
Biddleson  took  him  up  on  the  subject  of  water- 
jackets,  and  said  he  didn't  believe  any  manu- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  31 

facturer  could  afford  to  instal  copper  water- 
jackets,  a  good  radiator  and  a  decent  pump  in 
a  six  hundred  dollar  car. 

"Are  those  the  best  things  to  have?"  Mi- 
riam demanded  suddenly. 

Before  Harkaway  could  thump  his  host  on 
the  knee  Biddleson  had  got  excited  because  he 
saw  an  argument  coming  and  said  decisively, 
"  Nothing  else  is  practicable.  This  air  cooling 
is  a  mere  subterfuge.     Now  on  a  hot  day '* 

"  But  I  thought  we  were  going  to  get  a  good 
car,"  Miriam  interrupted.  "  You  said  it  would 
cost  only  three  hundred  dollars  and  here  you 
say  you  can't  get  a  decent  car  for  six  hundred." 

"  Six  hundred  was  the  price  we  agreed  on," 
Biddleson  said  weakly.  "  I  told  Harkaway  I 
didn't  see  how  we  could  afford  to  spend  that 
much,  even,  on  a  car,  but  he  said  his  judgment 
was  better  than  mine,  anyway,  and  if  he 
thought  it  was  a  good  investment  to  spend  six 
hundred  dollars  on  a  Durable  that  ought  to 
settle  it  for  me!" 

Miriam  gazed  thoughtfully  at  her  husband 
and  then  at  Harkaway.  "You  poor  boys  I" 
she  said  enigmatically. 


CHAPTER  III 

BIGGS  DEMONSTEATES  THAT  AN  ACTIVE  BAROM- 
ETER IS  BETTER  THAN  AN  ALMANAC  FOR 
EVERYDAY  USE 

It  was  a  great  day  when  the  Durable  ar- 
rived. To  begin  with,  it  came  on  a  Saturday 
when  Biddleson  had  a  half  holiday  at  his  dis- 
posal. The  timely  arrival  of  the  car,  how- 
ever, was  not  a  matter  left  wholly  to  chance; 
it  was  the  result  of  careful  planning  on  the  part 
of  Biddleson,  assisted  by  Biggs,  the  agent  of 
the  Tidewater  Navigation  Company.  Biggs's 
office  was  opposite  the  bank  and  next  to  the 
post  office.  He  had  been  very  helpful  in  the 
affair  and  had  taken  an  affectionate  and  unen- 
vious  interest  in  the  shape,  speed,  horsepower 
and  mechanical  construction  of  the  new  ma- 
chine as  described  in  the  catalogue,  and  dis- 
coursed upon  at  length,  by  its  prospective 
owners.  They  decided  that,  for  an  English- 
man, Biggs  was  a  mighty  good  fellow. 

32 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  33 

The  fact  that  the  car  didn't  arrive  until  the 
Saturday  a  week  later  than  it  was  expected 
didn't  detract,  according  to  Biggs,  from  the 
merit  of  Biddleson's  plan.  Harkaway  had 
been  as  anxious  as  Biddleson  about  the  car's 
coming  and  took  occasion  to  drop  into  the 
bank  two  or  three  times  a  day  to  inquire  for 
word  of  it.  At  first — when  he  knew  that  the 
Durable  had  passed  Ogden — Biddleson  was 
very  decent  about  answering  Harkaway's 
questions.  But  the  Thursday  after  the  Satur- 
day that  it  should  have  come  and  didn't  he 
utterly  refused  to  talk  about  it.  On  Friday 
afternoon — having  been  rebuffed  in  the  morn- 
ing— Harkaway  went  into  the  bank,  called 
emphatically  for  Biddleson  and  politely  asked 
him  why  he  hadn't  had  the  car  sent  around  the 
Horn  while  he  was  about  it.  "  You've  routed 
the  car  and  tended  to  the  freight  agent  and 
got  a  tracer  after  it,  so  far,"  he  remarked 
pleasantly,  checking  off  the  items  on  his  fin- 
gers, "  and  it's  just  occurred  to  me  that  you 
might  have  saved  all  that  trouble  by  having  it 
shipped  by  sailing  vessel." 


34  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Having  delivered  himself  of  this  agreeable 
suggestion  Harkaway  waited  for  Biddleson  to 
say  something  he  would  be  ashamed  of  after- 
wards. But  the  cashier  refrained.  He  was 
showing  an  unusual  amount  of  self-re- 
straint, too,  for  every  night  when  he  got  home 
he  had  to  put  up  with  careful,  searching  que- 
ries from  his  wife  as  to  just  when  the  car  had 
been  shipped,  and  if  he  were  sure  he  hadn't 
made  a  mistake  in  the  shipping  directions,  or 
why  didn't  Harvey  Biggs  telephone  to  Bones 
to  see  if  it  had  come,  or  who  was  it  that  boxed 
it  at  the  factory,  and  why  didn't  Rae  write  to 
him  and  ask  him  if  they  hadn't  sent  it  some- 
where else.  Miriam  was  sure  the  moths  would 
eat  it  (her  coat,  not  the  auto)  all  up  before 
she  had  a  chance  to  wear  it,  and  she  couldn't 
see  why  he  didn't  see  somebody,  and  she  was 
sure  that  something  had  happened  to  it  (the 
auto),  and  further  stated  indignantly  that  if 
Harvey  Biggs  spent  less  time  fishing  in  that 
old  launch  of  his  or  out  of  the  back  w^indow 
of  his  office,  he  would  have  more  time  to  attend 
to  business  and  could  get  something  done  for 
people  once  in  a  while. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE.         35 

Six  times  a  day  each  of  them — Biddleson, 
Harkaway  and  Biggs — ^telephoned  to  the 
agent  at  Bones,  six  miles  up  the  bay  where  the 
freight  and  passengers  took  the  tug,  to  know  if 
the  car  had  come.  It  was  part  of  Biddleson's 
plan  that  the  Durable  shouldn't  be  carried  on 
down  to  Deep  Water,  but  should  be  put  off  at 
Bones  and  then  brought  down  on  the  Tide- 
water Navigation  Company's  steamer  Rich- 
ardson the  next  morning.  The  Richardson 
was  going  to  make  a  special  trip,  in  fact,  for 
the  very  purpose.  Biggs  had  said  that  he 
would  see  to  that.  They  would  have  tele- 
phoned oftener,  but  the  agent  at  Bones  got 
to  know  their  voices  and  hung  up  the  receiver 
when  he  found  out  who  it  was. 

When  Miriam  announced,  as  she  did  every 
night,  that  she  was  going  down  to  telephone  to 
Bones  herself  in  the  morning,  her  husband 
went  out  and  stood  on  the  porch  and  gazed 
hopefully  out  to  sea,  looking  for  a  storm  that 
would  make  everybody  glad  that  the  Durable 
hadn't  come.  His  barometer,  however,  ob- 
stinately marked  31.10  in  spite  of  repeated 
and  violent  tappings.      Once  in  his  anxiety  to 


36  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

get  results  Biddleson  almost  broke  the  glass 
face  of  it.  During  all  this  time  Biggs  was 
properly  sympathetic,  and,  what  was  better 
still,  his  barometer  was  more  accommodating. 
According  to  that  matchless  instrument  a  gale 
was  due  almost  any  time,  and  as  Biggs  said  to 
Biddleson,  in  a  comforting  way  he  had,  "  My 
dear  fellow,  if  you  have  got  anything  around 
that  house  of  yours  out  on  Alki  Point  that's 
loose,  you'd  better  tie  it  down,  because  there's 
a  snorter  coming  that'll  blow  the  bark  right  off 
the  trees."  When  Biddleson  told  this  to  his 
wife,  she  said,  unreasonably,  "  It  would  be 
just  like  those  idiotic  steamer  people  to  load 
a  valuable  car  on  their  leaky  old  boat  and  try 
to  bring  it  down  in  a  storm.  I  certainty  hope 
they'll  at  least  have  sense  enough  to  leave  it 
at  Bones  till  the  weather  settles."  Be  it  known 
that  Biggs's  aneroid  was  the  wonder  of  the 
non-seafaring  population,  the  pride  of  Biggs 
himself  and  a  source  of  consuming  in- 
terest to  the  summer  visitors  at  Tidewater. 
It  always  hung  in  the  ticket  office  behind  the 
wire-screened  counter  where  no  one  but  Biggs 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  37 

could  get  at  it.  Other  beaches  have  their  lov- 
ers' lanes,  their  precipitous  chff s  whence 
heart-broken  Indians  have  jumped  into  the 
boiling  surf,  and  other  characteristic  wonders. 
More  widely  advertised  summer  resorts  have 
their  incomparable  climates,  their  "scenic  at- 
tractions unsurpassed";  but  Tidewater  had 
Biggs's  barometer. 

Many  were  the  tales  told  around  bonfires 
on  the  beach  at  night,  around  firesides  at  home 
after  the  season  was  over,  of  the  astounding 
gyrations  of  the  needle  of  Biggs's  record- 
breaking  mechanical  weather  prophet.  No 
one,  from  the  owner  of  the  livery  stable  to  the 
most  recent  summer  tourist,  would  dream  of 
undertaldng  anything  without  first  consulting 
Biggs.  Energetic  new-comers  at  the  Bay 
View  Hotel — an  unassuming  name  afterwards 
changed  by  the  owner,  Thompson,  to  the  Fer- 
dinand Arms — ^those  who  wanted  to  go  clam- 
ming, crabbing,  or  picnicking  and  wished  to 
know  what  the  weather  would  be  like  the  next 
day  were  told  by  the  noncommittal  clerk  of  the 
hotel  that  they  "had  better  see  Biggs."     For 


S8  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

example,  if  a  stiiF  northwest  wind  and  a  low 
tide  at  3  a.  m.  were  essential  prerequisites  of 
success  in  getting  crabs  on  the  ocean  beach, 
Biggs  couldn't  supply  the  tide,  but  he  could 
furnish  the  wind! 

"  Yes,  sir,"  he  would  say  earnestly  when  his 
opinion  was  sought.  "Couldn't  be  better. 
Steady  as  a  rock."  Here  he  would  tap  the 
face  of  the  aneroid  carefully.  "  Give  you  my 
word,  needle  hasn't  moved  a  hundredth  part 
of  an  inch  in  three  days.  Wind's  from  the 
northwest  now,  and  it's  bound  to  keep  up. 
Better  go  in  the  morning,  sir.  Tide  will  be 
just  right:  one  foot,  seven-tenths  minus. 
Very  low,  sir.     Good  lot  of  reef  exposed." 

It  was  the  day  on  which  the  Durable  actually 
arrived  that  an  elderly  individual,  born  and 
raised  on  the  rocky  shores  of  Maine,  living  in- 
land for  thirty  years,  had  come  purposely  to 
Tidewater  to  get  a  sniff  of  salt  air  and  renew 
the  memories  of  early  youth.  Like  everyone 
else,  he  came  in  to  talk  it  over  with  Biggs. 

"  Glad  you  came  in,  sir,"  said  Biggs  heartily. 
Biggs,  an  Englishman,  had  been  born  within 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  39 

sight  of  the  sea  himself  and  knew  the  longings 
of  the  man  who  hasn't  the  roar  of  the  surf  in 
his  ears.  "  Glass  has  fallen  half  an  inch  in  an 
hour.  The  last  time  it  did  that  a  sou'wester 
came  up  that  blew  the  top  of  one  roller  clear 
over  the  light-house."  Biggs  gave  the  barom- 
eter a  smart  tap  and  the  needle  obediently 
moved  down  to  28.19.  "  Still  going  down,"  he 
said  hopefully.  "  If  you  want  to  see  what  the 
Pacific  can  do  in  heavy  weather,  sir,  go  out  to 
the  shelter  house  at  North  Head.  Perfectly 
safe !  Stone  house  built  by  the  city,  plate  glass 
windows  and  screened  balcony.  Follow  the 
bay  road  till  you  come  to  Thompson's,  then  two 
turns  to  the — Don't  know  Thompson's  place? 
You  surprise  me,  sir;  Mr.  Thompson  is  the 
president  of  our  principal  bank.  Finest  place 
in  Tidewater.  Sort  of  mediasval,  baronial 
mansion  right  on  the  shore  of  the  bay;  has  a 
drawbridge  over  the  moat,  three  windmills, 
two  bath-houses,  boathouse  and  a  stone  pier 
fifty  feet  long.  The  moat  is  only  a  little  creek 
of  course,  but  it  does  very  well ;  only  moat  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  anyway.     Castle  has  four 


40  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

towers  and  a  parapet.  The  walls  are  of  cedar 
shingles,  but  they  don't  look  at  all  bad,  y' 
know.  You  may  notice  the  gas-pipe  screen 
for  the  ivy  to  climb  up.  Can't  see  the  ivy  from 
the  road,  but  in  a  few  years  Mr.  Thompson 
thinks  it  will  be  very  beautiful.  Couldn't  miss 
it  if  you  tried,  sir.  Only  place  like  it  in  the 
world;  red  brick  chimney  on  the  west  side  of 
the  castle ;  take  two  turns  to  the  left  after  you 
pass  the  castle- — 'Devonshire  Hall,'  Mr. 
Thompson  calls  it — ^keep  right  along  to  the 
top  of  the  bluff,  and,  if  you  hurry,  sir,  you'll 
make  it  before  it  rains." 

The  old  man  carefully  buttoned  his  coat, 
opened  the  door  and  sallied  forth  bravely  and 
joyfully  into  the  teeth  of  Biggs's  projected 
storm.  His  place  before  the  altar  of  Vayu 
and  Varuna,  the  great  gods  of  wind  and  rain, 
was  immediately  taken  by  a  young  lady  in  a 
blue  yachting  suit  with  a  red  sweater  tied  negli- 
gently and  gracefully  around  her  waist.  She 
patted  her  back  hair  carefully  with  an  un- 
gloved hand  that  displayed  a  flashing  solitaire, 
readjusted  the  sweater  so  that  it  would  hang 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  41 

more  carelessly  and  girlishly,  smiled  sweetly 
at  Biggs  and  began: 

"  Now,  don't  tell  me,  Mr.  Biggs,  that  the 
weather  is  going  to  be  horrid !  Char — I  mean, 
a  friend  is  coming  down  on  the  train  to-night, 
and  I  thought  it  would  be  just  too  lovely  to 
meet  him  at  Bones  with  the  launch.  It  will 
be  simply  fine  on  Ferdinand  Arm  to-night  in 
the  moonlight,  but  mamma's  nose  tickles,  or 
she  has  rheumatism,  or  some  silly  thing  or 
other  is  the  matter  with  her,  and  she  insists  that 
something  perfectly  dreadful  is  going  to  hap- 
pen. You  don't  feel  sick,  or  have  asthma  just 
before  a  storm,  do  you,  Mr.  Biggs?" 

The  sweet  yoimg  thing  paused,  patted  her 
back  hair  again,  rearranged  the  sweater  and 
gazed  at  Biggs  anxiously. 

"Really,  I  don't  remember  noticing,"  an- 
swered the  agent  of  the  Tidewater  Naviga- 
tion Company,  laying  aside  liis  pipe  and  his 
cap  in  a  careful  British  manner.  "But  if  I 
had,  I  shouldn't  think  of  mentioning  it.  To  be 
sure,  I  have  my  barometer,  and  it  does  splen- 
didly in  an  emergency.     I  thought  a  bit  back  it 


42  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

was  going  to  storm,  but  perhaps  the  weather 
will  change,  after  all.  A-hem !  let  me  see,"  he 
mused,  giving  the  faithful  instrument  a  tap. 
"I  really  believe  you're  quite  right,  Miss 
Jones.  The  barometer's  gone  up  again;  it's 
31.05  now.  Couldn't  jiossibly  get  rough  be- 
fore to-morrow  night!  The  train  is  due  at 
Bones  at  seven  o'clock.  Our  boat  will  be  a 
little  late  this  evening  on  account  of  an  unus- 
ual amount  of  freight.  If  you  leave  Bones 
right  after  the  train  gets  in  you  ought  to  beat 
the  Richardson  down.  I'll  tell  Captain  Jacob- 
son  to  watch  for  you.  Miss  Jones,  so  that  if 
anything  happens  to  your  engine,  he  will  tow 
you  in." 

Not  everyone  had  implicit  confidence  in 
Biggs's  barometer.  There  was  the  captain  of 
the  Richardson  for  instance;  he  proceeded 
calmly  back  and  forth  on  his  daily  trips  be- 
tween Tidewater  and  Bones  wholly  without 
concern  for  the  fearful  portents  displaj^ed 
by  his  superior's  instrument.  The  master  of 
the  gasoline  sloop  Albatross  came  in  and 
went    out    over    the    bar    in    bhssful    dis- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  43 

regard  of  Biggs's  gloomy  prognostica- 
tions. And  so  with  the  other  mariners 
whose  craft  plied  the  waters  of  De  Poe 
Sound  and  adjacent  seas.  Their  scepticism 
as  to  the  accuracy  of  Biggs's  barometer  was 
complete,  yet  silent.  None  of  them  were  cu- 
rious as  to  why  the  readings  of  Biggs's  glass 
didn't  agree  with  theirs.  They  never  pre- 
sumed to  investigate  the  inner  workings  of  the 
instrument  itself. 

Perhaps  they  were  deterred  by  the  awful  and 
legendary  fate  of  one  impious  mortal.  It  is 
told  in  Tidewater  with  bated  breath  how  a 
luckless  summer  visitor  sneaked  into  Biggs's 
office  while  he  was  out,  or  jumped  over  the 
counter  when  he  was  in,  or  burglariously  en- 
tered at  night — armed  with  a  screw-driver — 
and  how  Biggs  got  back  just  in  time  to  catch 
him,  and  he  transfixed  him  with  an  awful  Brit- 
ish glare,  or  how  Biggs  (these  are  the  varia- 
tions of  the  legend)  happened  to  be  fishing 
(unknown  to  the  visitor)  out  of  the  office  win- 
dow in  the  dark  and  jigged  him  with  a  salmon 
hook,  in  the  felonious  act  of  examining  the 


44  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

aneroid  in  a  post-mortem  fashion,  and  finally 
— aU  stories  agreed  on  this  point — ^liow  Biggs 
refused  to  validate  the  visitor's  return  trip 
ticket  and  he  was  obliged  to  pay  his  fare  back 
home. 

The  relation  of  this  story  had  led  to  Hark- 
away's  making  Biggs's  acquaintance.  He  felt 
sure  such  a  man  must  be  worth  knowing ;  and 
he  was.  As  time  went  on  the  acquaintance 
waxed  into  friendship  and  Harkaway  was  al- 
lowed to  talk — in  private — ^with  Biggs  about 
his  barometer.  In  fact  Harkaway  was  permit- 
ted to  pay  his  respects  to  the  remarkable  me- 
teorological results  that  Biggs  could  get  with 
his  aneroid,  but  that  was  as  far  as  it  went. 
Harkaway  was  not  allowed  to  experiment  with 
the  weather  himself.  He  never  dared  go 
nearer  than  three  feet  to  that  oh  jet  d'art. 

It  was  half  an  hour  after  the  sweet  young 
tiling  with  the  back  hair  and  diamond  ring 
had  departed  that  Harkaway  went  into 
Biggs's  office  to  see  whether  he  had  telephoned 
to  Bones  that  morning.  Harkaway  hadn't 
telephoned  Imnself  but  he  devoutly  hoped  that 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  45 

Biggs  had.  Telephoning  to  Bones  was  be- 
come a  hazardous  proceeding,  but  Biggs,  be- 
ing an  Enghshman,  went  about  such  matters 
cahnly  and  without  any  regard  for  what  the 
other  man  might  say.  When  he  felt  that  it 
was  right  for  him  to  do  a  certain  thing  he  was 
never  embarrassed  for  fear  of  possible  criti- 
cism; or,  if  he  were  entitled  to  a  certain  privi- 
lege by  law,  custom  or  purchase,  he  believed 
that  no  sensible  person  would  attempt  to  de- 
prive him  of  it,  least  of  all  object  if  he  asked 
for  it.  With  these  methods  he  usually  suc- 
ceeded, where  an  American,  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances, would  stand  abashed  and  suffer  in 
silence. 

It  was  even  averred  that  once  the  Canadian 
Pacific  had  hauled  an  extra  sleeper  all  the 
way  from  Fort  Wilham  to  Winnipeg  merely 
because  Biggs  was  entitled  to  a  lower  berth 
and  there  were  none  but  uppers  left;  so  the 
tale  of  one  of  Tidewater's  citizens  ran.  It 
appeared  that  the  few  upper  berths  that  were 
taken  were  inhabited  by  self-effacing  Ameri- 
cans who  had  accepted  them  meekly  enough, 


46  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

although,  like  Biggs,  they  had  been  promised 
lowers.  These  pilgrims  from  the  land  of  the 
free  and  the  home  of  the  brave,  descendants 
it  is  true  of  determined  forefathers  who  made 
of  Boston  harbour  a  gigantic  teapot,  but  now, 
alas!  the  long-suffering,  corporation-ridden 
Americans  we  all  know,  retired  to  an  obscure 
place  along  the  platform  where  no  one  could 
hear  them  or  profit  by  their  remarks,  and  in- 
dividually and  collectively,  unanimously  and 
fervently  cursed  the  C.  P.  R.,  the  Dominion 
Government,  the  climate,  the  days  that  they 
were  born,  and  lastly  and  most  fervidly  of  all 
a  pompous  Colonial  official  who  had  four  sec- 
tions and  both  drawing-rooms.  Not  so.  Biggs  I 
He  was  calmly  telling  the  man  at  the  window 
inside  the  station — for  the  fourteenth  time — - 
that  the  agent  in  New  York  had  said  he  would 
telegraph  for  a  lower  berth  "when  I  bought 
my  ticket,  don't  you  know?" 

"  I  am  sorry,  sir,"  said  the  man  at  the  win- 
dow respectfully,  "but  I  didn't  get  the  wire, 
and  the  lower  berths  are  all  taken.  I  can 
give  you  an  upper  in  the  middle  of  the  car. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF^  GASOLINE  47 

The  ventilation  is  perfect,  and  you'll  be  quite 
comfortable,  sir." 

"But,  my  dear  fellow,  I  cawn't  sleep  on  a 
beastly  shelf,  don't  j^ou  know!"  objected 
Biggs. 

"  Very  sorry,  sir,"  answered  the  man  at  the 
window  for  the  fifteenth  time,  "  but  your  name 
wasn't  on  the  purser's  list  and  there  is  nothing 
left  for  you,  sir."  The  man  at  the  window 
referred  to  a  notice  posted  conspicuously  on 
the  steamer  from  Owen  Sound  to  Fort  Wil- 
liam which  said  that  passengers  for  Winni- 
peg and  further  west,  desiring  sleeping  ac- 
commodations on  the  train  should  leave  their 
names  with  the  purser. 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  the  bally 
purser,"  said  Biggs  firmly.  "The  agent  in 
N^ew  York  said  that  he  would  telegraph  for 
a  lower  berth  when  I  bought  my  ticket,  don't 
you  know!  Fahncyl"  said  Biggs,  turning 
around  and  addressing  the  pompous  Colonial 
official  and  the  rest  of  his  fellow  countrymen 
who  had  gathered  to  assist  Biggs  even  though 
they  were    plentifully   supplied   with   lowers 


48  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

themselves.  "  Fahncy !  "  repeated  Biggs  hu- 
morously, "  Fahncy  asking  a  purser  on  a  boat 
for  a  berth  on  a  train.     Ha,  ha! " 

"Ha,  ha!"  laughed  his  compatriots  in  uni- 
son. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  sir,"  said  the  man  at  the 
window  apologetically,  but  finally.  "  If  I  had 
a  lower,  you  should  have  it,  but  they  are  all 
taken,  sir." 

"What's  that?"  demanded  the  pompous 
Colonial  official  who  immediately  took  Biggs's 
place  at  the  window.  "I  cawn't  understand 
why  my  friend  Mr.  Biggs  cawn't  have  a  lower 
berth  when  the  agent  in  New  York  said  he 
would  telegraph  when  Mr.  Biggs  bought  his 
ticket,  don't  you  know?"  Biggs  wasn't  a 
friend  of  the  official,  but  on  such  occasions  all 
Enghshmen  are  brothers. 

"  I  will  report  this  matter,"  continued  the 
pompous  Colonial  official,  severely.  "  I  will 
^Tite  to  Sir  Wilfred  Laurier!  By  Gad,  I'll 
write  to  the  Times,  sir!  !"  The  pompous  C. 
O.  stamped  his  cane  in  heu  of  a  gouty  foot  that 
would  barely   allow  him  to  walk.     "  JEN- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  49 

KINS!"  he  thundered,  turning  to  his  secre- 
tary. "  Make  a  note  that  I  am  to  write  to  the 
premier  of  this  beastly  province  and  tell  him 
what  I  think  of  him  for  allowing  such  an  out- 
rage.    GET  OFF  MY  FOOT!    D N 

YOU  SIR!! "  he  shouted  at  Jenkins,  who,  in 
his  anxiety  to  please  had  crowded  in  too  close 
and  trod  on  his  employer's  gouty  pedal  ex- 
tremity. 

"Yes,  sir.  Thank  you,  sir!"  said  Jenldns, 
bacldng  away  in  great  trepidation  and  writing 
rapidly  in  his  notebook,  "  Get  off  his  excel- 
lency's foot — ^beg  pardon,  sir — write  to  Sir 
Wilfred  Laurier,  sir — Times — outrage — man 
in  New  York  telegraphed — when  Mr.  Biggs 

bought  his  ticket,  don't  you  kn "     Jenldns 

closed  his  notebook  in  a  respectful  manner  and 
returned  it  to  his  pocket  with  the  remark, 
"Very  good,  sir.     Thank  you,  sir." 

"  There's  another  car,  sir,  that  might  be  put 
on  the  train,"  said  the  man  at  the  window, 
now  thoroughly  alarmed.  "  I'll  wire  to  head- 
quarters for  instructions." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  said  the  pompous  Colon- 


50  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

ial  official  coldly.  "  Jenkins,  write  to  Sir  Wil- 
fred Laurier  and  tell  him  I  don't  like  his 
beastly  climate." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Jenkins. 

To  return  to  the  agent  at  Bones,  Biggs 
called  him  up  three  times  that  morning,  the 
first  two  times  without  eliciting  a  response. 
The  third  time  Hanmaond,  the  American  gen- 
tleman at  the  other  end  of  the  line,  took  down 
the  receiver  as  soon  as  the  bell  stopped  ring- 
ing and  remarked  fiercely  and  rapidly,  "  Yes, 
I  know  you  are  Biggs,  agent  at  Tidewater. 
I  also  know  that  you  are  a  blooming  ass!  I 
told  you — I  told  Biddleson — I  told  Hark- 
away  that  when  that  gas  wagon  was  here,  I'd 
let  you  know.  DID  YOU  FORGET  IT? " 
Bang!  went  the  receiver  at  Bones. 

"But,  my  dear  fellow,"  began  Biggs  at  his 

end,  "  I "  when  he  realised  that  the  other 

man  had  hung  up,  Biggs  calmly  returned  his 
own  receiver  to  the  hook,  took  it  down  again, 
got  Long  Distance  and  called  for  Buxton,  the 
agent  at  Deep  Water. 

"  This  is  Biggs  at  Tidewater,"  he  called. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  51 

"  Well,"  answered  Buxton  indiiFerently. 

"I've  been  talking  to  Bones,"  Biggs  ex- 
plained, "  but  something  is  the  matter  and  I 
can't  find  out  what  I  want  to  know.  Would 
you  mind  calling  them  up  for  me?  " 

Biggs  said  "  can't,"  not  "  cawn't."  Fifteen 
years  of  life  in  America  had  eliminated  all  but 
a  trace  of  his  ultra-British  accent.  The  var- 
iants he  pronounced  as  all  good  Americans  pro- 
nounce them,  and  on  occasions,  like  the  Fourth 
of  July,  out  of  respect  to  his  environment,  he 
even  said  "haf "  instead  of  "half."  Take  it 
all  in  all,  Biggs  had  shown  great  adaptabihty 
for  a  man  of  his  nationality.  But  these  were 
not  the  only  changes  that  had  taken  place  in 
Biggs.  The  characteristic  apathy,  the  vacant 
stare  of  the  average  English  Englishman  had 
been  replaced  by  an  alert  demeanour,  and  his 
blue  eyes  displayed  a  twinkle  that  w  ould  have 
been  thought  a  symptom  of  insanity  in  his 
native  land.  All  of  which  tends  to  show  that 
an  American  Englishman  may  be  an  improve- 
ment on  his  British  prototype  and  that  under 
the  proper  stimulus  a  son  of  Albion  can  con- 


52  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

duct  himself  like  a  wide-awake  human  being. 

"  Who  do  you  want  to  talk  to,  and  what  do 
you  want  me  to  say?"  demanded  Buxton  with 
some  acerbity. 

"  Two  friends  of  mine  are  expecting  a  ship- 
ment," Biggs  explained.  "And  I  want  to 
ask  Hammond  about  it." 

"What  was  it?" 

"An  automobile." 

"  Where  was  it  billed  to?" 

"  Tidewater,"  said  Biggs. 

"  Should  have  been  billed  to  Bones,"  growled 
Buxton.  "  This  office  doesn't  know  of  any 
such  place  as  Tidewater.  Instructions  from 
headquarters  are  to  bring  freight  for  Tide- 
water here  and  hold  at  owner's  risk.  Who 
was  it  for,  anyway?" 

"Biddleson  and  Harkaway.  Biddleson  is 
cashier  of  the  Farmer's  and  Fisherman's  Bank, 
you  know,"  Biggs  went  on. 

"  I'm  not  acquainted  with  the  gent,"  snarled 
Buxton.     "  What  did  you  say  his  name  was? " 

"  Biddleson." 

"Biddleson,"  repeated  Buxton  slowly,  as 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  63 

though  trying  to  recall  a  name  he  had  heard 
some  time  before.  "  Seems  to  me  there's  an 
automobile  on  the  dock  here  for  a  Biddleson; 
been  lying  around  here  in  everybody's  way  for 
a  week.  Had  a  good  notion  to  heave  it  into 
the  bay." 

"My  dear  chap,"  demanded  Biggs  evenly, 
"  why  didn't  you  write  to  Biddleson  and  tell 
him  it  was  there?  He's  been  looking  for  it  for 
a  week." 

"I  didn't  have  to,"  snapped  Buxton.  "I 
wired  him  an  hour  ago  to  come  and  get  it,  or 
he'd  lose  it." 

Of  course  Buxton's  nasty  manner  wasn't 
personal  to  Biggs  or  Biddleson.  It  was  the 
simple  expression  of  his  loyalty  to  Deep 
Water.  Deep  Water  hated  Tidewater  and 
the  history  of  their  feud  is  written  in  the  rec- 
ord of  how  the  railroad  didn't  come  to  Tide- 
water, as  it  should  have  done  (according  to 
the  citizens  of  Tidewater)  and  instead  ran 
to  Deep  Water,  the  other  side  of  Salmon 
Point,  to  the  great  gratification  of  Deep 
Water,  which  promptly  advertised  such  a  depth 


54  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

of  water  as  would  float  the  very  largest  steam- 
ship in  the  world  and  pooh-poohed  Tidewater 
as  a  sea  port,  alleging  in  print  that  it  hardly- 
afforded  water  enough  at  low  tide  to  cover  a 
small  clam.  Tidewater  sniff'ed  and  dubbed 
Deep  Water  "  Sahara,"  thus  withering  it  in- 
stantly in  its  budding  hopes  of  becoming  a 
metropolis.  Deep  Water  was  in  the  dumps 
after  this  and  failed  to  recover  when  it  discov- 
ered that  it  was  still  off  the  map,  so  far  as 
Tidewater  was  concerned.  Tidewater,  on 
one  fork  of  the  Y  made  by  Ferdinand  Arm, 
refused  to  go  to  Deep  Water  as  the  railroad 
terminus  and  established  a  steamboat  line  to 
Bones,  at  the  head  of  the  Arm.  This  proceed- 
ing short-circuited  the  current  of  passengers, 
most  of  whom  never  saw  Deep  Water  and  its 
unparalleled  harbour  and  enormous  capacity 
for  the  World's  Trade  and  so  forth,  but  got  off 
the  train  at  Bones,  boarded  the  Richardson  and 
were  borne  down  to  Tidewater  whence  they 
went  their  ways  to  the  various  parts  of  De  Poe 
Bay.  Consequently  Buxton  got  mad  every 
time  he  thought  of  Tidewater  and  as  a  pa- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  55 

triotic  citizen  of  that  deserted  town  he  felt  it 
his  duty  to  sit  upon  each  and  every  adherent 
of  the  lower  town.  As  agent  of  the  road,  his 
duty  in  this  regard  was  emphasised.  And 
whenever  he  managed  to  unite  his  office  of 
agent  with  his  lofty  position  as  citizen  of  Deep 
Water,  his  manner  was  overwhelming  and  it 
was  a  brave  fellow  who  would  try  an  issue  with 
him. 

"  Oh! "  was  all  Biggs  said.  He  hung  up  the 
receiver,  went  over  and  consulted  the  barom- 
eter thoughtfully,  crossed  to  a  chair,  sat 
down,  ht  his  pipe  and  awaited  calmly  the  march 
of  events. 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  TEMPEST  IN  A  TEAPOT  MAY  BE  FIERCE  WHILE 
IT  LASTS 

The  first  to  inquire  whether  Biggs  had  yet  tel- 
ephoned to  Bones  was  Harkaway.  He  came 
in  circumspectly,  having  observed  a  change  in 
his  old  friend's  manner  of  late.  The  customary 
twinkle  in  Biggs's  eye  had  ceased  to  twink,  a 
look  of  hostile,  rigid  imbecility  had  temporar- 
ily taken  the  place  of  his  usual  smile,  a  curious 
example  of  temporary  reversion  to  a  congeni- 
tal type.  At  such  moments,  the  humanising 
influence  of  a  decade  and  a  half  in  America 
seemed  to  Harkaway  to  be  slipping  off  Biggs, 
as  if  he  had  lost  his  naturahsation  papers.  So, 
being  determined  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  the 
non-appearance  of  the  Durable,  and  expect- 
ing Biddleson  at  any  moment  on  the  same  er- 
rand, Harkaway  paltered. 

"Hello,    Biggs,"    he    said    cheerfully,    as 
though  he  hadn't  been  in    an    hour    before. 

56 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  57 

"Any  luck  with  the  weather  these  days?'* 
Biggs  was  non-committal. 

"  I  wish  you  would  fix  things  up  old  chap  so 
that  Bid  and  I  can  always  have  the  wind  at 
our  backs  when  the  car  comes  and  we  ride  on 
the  beach,"  he  went  on,  amiably.  "You  see, 
Mrs.  Biddleson  says  we  can't  smoke  when  the 
wind's  ahead;  afraid  the  ashes  will  fly  back. 
No  fun  riding  unless  you  can  smoke.  Two 
taps  will  do  it,  just  like  this." 

Harkaway  negligently  took  two  steps  to- 
wards the  instrument  as  if  to  demonstrate. 
He  stopped  in  apparent  surprise,  exactly  on 
the  right  side  of  the  dead-line  across  which  no 
friend  of  Biggs's  would  venture  to  step. 
"A-ha!"  he  shouted.  "That's  what  you've 
been  doing,  is  it?  28.19,  was  it,  you  told  that 
poor  old  guy?  And  now  it's  above  31!  You 
forgot  to  change  the  brass  needle,  old  man, 
that's  all !  Can't  fool  me !  I  saw  the  old  party 
from  Penobscot  Bay  going  by  a  few  minutes 
ago  all  togged  up  in  a  sHcker,  a  pair  of  gum- 
boots  and  a  sou'wester.  I  wondered  what  the 
matter  was  till  he  told  me  what  your  glass  said. 


58  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Mentioned  that  he  was  going  out  to  N^orth 
Head  to  see  the  surf  and  watch  the  gale  send 
the  breakers  tumbUng  across  the  reef.  Asked 
me  if  I  thought  it  would  do  much  damage. 
Xice  old  fellow;  shame  to  treat  him  like  that. 
I  had  him  out  to  Harkaway's  Addition  early 
this  morning,  and  if  he  can  see  a  real  storm  I'll 
bet  he'll  buy  the  whole  place.  But  what  the 
deuce'll  you  say  when  he  trots  back  in  the  sun- 
shine this  afternoon,  Biggs?  You'll  have  to 
lie,  that's  what !  I  know  it's  against  your  prin- 
ciples but  something  has  got  to  be  done  to  keep 
his  faith  up.     I  can't  afford  to  lose  a  sale." 

Biggs  refused  to  be  angry  and,  on  the  con- 
trary, was  visibly  pleased.  At  the  suggestion 
of  possible  trouble,  should  the  old  gentleman 
return  to  the  office  and  revile  him,  Biggs 
chuckled  and  looked  over  at  his  instrument  with 
confident  pride.  "  That  barometer  promises  a 
storm,"  he  assured  Harkaway  solemnly. 
"  The  moon  changes  to-morrow  anyway,  and  I 
saw  some  Mother  Carey's  chickens  on  the  reef 
this  morning ;  they  never  come  in  unless  stormy 
weather  is  approaching.     Of  course,  they  may 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  59 

not  have  been  Mother  Carey's  chickens,  as  I 
never  saw  any  before  but  once — that  was 
years  ago,  Harkawaj'- — and  it  was  just  such  a 
day  as  this  in  August,  not  a  breath  of  air  stir- 
ring, and  the  needle  of  my  instrument  here 
went  down  like  the  pointer  of  a  steam  gauge 
when  the  fire's  gone  out  under  the  boiler.  It 
couldn't  go  any  further  down.  It  hugged  the 
bottom  for  four  mortal  hours — 'pon  my  honour 
it  did !  Every  boat  in  the  harbour  went  up  the 
Arm  to  get  behind  that  bluff  at  Indian  Shoals 
so  they  could  be  protected  from  the  gale.  IMy- 
self ,  I  went  out  to  the  cliff  beyond  Thompson's 
to  see  the  surf  and  I  took  a  rope  in  case  I 
should  need  it.  I've  seen  some  blows  on  the 
north  coast  of  Devon,  and  a  rope  isn't  a  bad 
thing  to  have  along  when  one  finds  oneself  go- 
ing inland  faster  than  one  can  run.  As  I  was 
saying,  I  went  out  to  the  cHff  by  Seal  Rocks, 
and  when  I  got  there  I  heard  a  most  peculiar 
noise  from  the  hill  back  of  the  chff.  It  was 
more  than  a  noise;  it  was  an  infernal  racket. 
It  sounded  like  nothing  so  much  as  a  million 
dogs  barking  at  one  cat  up  a  tree. 


60  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"Of  course,  I  knew  there  weren't  enough 
dogs  in  the  county  to  make  all  that  noise,  but  I 
didn't  pay  much  attention  to  it  because  I  was 
in  a  hurry  to  get  myself  lashed  to  a  big  fir 
stump  before  the  storm  broke.  Mind  you,  it 
was  just  as  calm  as  it  is  this  minute  and  it  had 
been  for  twenty- four  hours!  When  I  had 
lashed  myself  to  the  stump  where  I  could  look 
down  on  the  rocks  I  was  never  so  astonished  in 
my  life.  The  sea  was  as  smooth  as  a  river. 
You  know  how  the  water  is  always  dashing  up 
the  rocks  and  there  are  never  less  than  fifteen 
or  twenty  seals  sunning  themselves  on  top.  I 
looked  again,  and  that  was  what  surprised  me ; 
there  wasn't  a  seal  in  sight.  You  know  that 
hiU  that  I  just  mentioned  the  fearful  noise 
came  from  is  the  highest  spot  around  here. 
Well,  I  looked  up  and  there  were  the  seals, 
about  a  hundred  thousand  of  them  I  should 
say.  You  see,  every  seal  for  twenty  miles  up 
and  do^n  the  coast  knew  the  storm  was  com- 
ing and  had  climbed  up  there  to  get  out  of  the 
wet  and  was  barking  because  some  other  seal 
was  crowding  him.     I " 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  61 

"That'll  be  enough  for  you,  Biggs,"  inter- 
rupted Harkaway,  sceptically;  "cut  it  out!  I 
don't  care  to  hear  how  the  wind  blew  when  it 
got  started  either!  You  can  tell  the  rest  of 
that  story  to  the  old  man  from  Maine;  he'll 
hke  it.  Then,  I'U  sell  him  all  Harkaway's 
Addition  and  throw  in  the  hill  where  the  seals 
were  as  a  site  for  his  house,  eh,  what?  By 
George,  here  comes  Biddleson." 

Biddleson  could  be  seen  coming  rapidly 
across  the  street.  He  rushed  unceremoniously 
into  the  office  and  thrust  an  opened  telegram 
under  Harkaway's  nose.  "  Just  look  at  that ! " 
he  shouted  passionately. 

Harkaway  suspected  that  the  yellow  paper 
referred  to  the  auto,  but  he  had  wanted  to  get 
even  with  Biddleson  ever  since  the  dinner 
episode. 

"  Say,  Bid,"  he  said  sweetly,  ignoring  all 
apparent  excitement  and  utterly  refusing  to 
look  at  the  telegram,  "  Biggs  has  just  been 
telling  me  of  a  bully  old  storm  he  and  his 
barometer  pulled  off  some  years  ago.  Now, 
there's  an  old  chap  here  wants  to  see  a  storm 


62  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

and  buy  some  of  my  property,  so  if  Biggs  can 
just  fix  it  up  so " 

"Fix  it  up!"  yelled  Biddleson,  trembling 
with  rage.  "Read  that,  I  teU  you,  and  then 
you'll  see  how  he  fixes  things !  I  had  it  all  fig- 
ured out  that  our  car  would  get  here  last  Sat- 
urday, when  I  had  plenty  of  time  to  look  after 
it.  Biggs,  the  colossal  ass,  said  he  could  fix  it 
so  the  macliine  could  be  unloaded  at  Bones  on 
Friday  night  and  the  Richardson  could  go  up 
for  it  in  the  morning.  Why,  Biggs  couldn't 
fix  one  4x5  plate  with  a  whole  barrel  of  hypo! 
He's  fixed  his  last  fix  for  me."  Snapping  his 
jaws  viciously,  Biddleson  turned  and  glared  at 
his  erstwhile  helpful  friend  in  a  most  ferocious 
manner. 

"  You  look  warm,  Rae,"  Biggs  said  quietly, 
imitating  Miriam's  voice  with  a  sHght  lisp. 
"  Sit  down,  dear,  and  tell  us  all  about  it." 

Biddleson  sank  suddenly  into  a  chair,  looked 
at  the  two  men  in  a  bewildered  way  and  then 
got  up  again  as  suddenly  as  he  sat  down,  mad- 
der than  ever.  He  now  shook  the  telegram  in 
Harkaway's  face.     "Read  it!"  he  cried  in  a 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  63 

rage.     "  Damn  it,  read  it  quick!    Because  the 
man  that  sent  it  is  going  to  eat  it!" 

Harkaway  took  the  message  reluctantly  and 
with  misgivings.  It  was  terse  and  characteris- 
tic of  the  relations  existing  between  the  citizens 
of  Deep  Water,  alias  Sahara,  and  those  of  its 
successful  rival,  Tidewater.     It  read: 

Automobile  here  for  Biddleson  and  Hark- 
away  one  week.  Take  it  away  or  will  sell  to 
pay  freight  charges. 

Buxton. 

After  reading  the  telegram  Harkaway  si- 
lently handed  it  to  Biggs.  "  They  will  have  to 
ship  it  back  to  Bones,"  Biggs  said  in  his  most 
stolid  British  manner. 

"Yes,  they  will!  "  Biddleson  snorted.  "  Do 
you  suppose  I'm  going  up  to  that  heaven-for- 
saken place  three  times?  Once  to  argue  with 
Buxton  over  the  fact  that  it  was  the  railroad's 
mistake?  A  second  time  to  get  him  to  reship 
it  to  Bones?  A  third  time  to  show  him  that  I 
don't  have  to  pay  the  freight  from  Sahara  to 


64s  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

tBones  just  because  they  carried  it  past?  No, 
sir !  We'll  go  right  up  now  and  bring  it  down 
ourselves,  and  tell  him  he  doesn't  get  another 
cent  of  freight  out  of  us ;  that's  net ! " 

They  already  knew  what  the  freight  bill 
would  be  and  had  agreed  that  each  would  pay 
one-half  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
that  the  railroad  gets  for  every  auto  shipped 
across  the  continent  no  matter,  as  Harka- 
way  put  it,  "  whether  it's  a  two  hundred  pound 
runabout  from  Detroit  or  a  ten-ton  ice-wagon 
from  France."  But  at  this  point  Harkaway 
scented  a  fresh  difficulty.  *'  Look  here,  Rae," 
he  said.  "  Remember  it's  past  noon  and  j^our 
old  bank  is  closed.  Buxton  won't  take  our 
checks  and  I  know  him  well  enough  to  know 
we  shan't  get  our  machine  till  we  pay  the 
freight.  Have  you  got  a  hundred  and  fifty  in 
your  pocket?     A  twenty's  all  I've  got." 

Biddleson  felt  aimlessly  in  his  pockets,  and 
found  a  ten  dollar  gold  piece  and  some  change 
to  match  Harkaway's  twenty.  "We'll  make 
him  take  a  check,  that's  all,"  he  declared  em- 
phatically. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  65 

"  Buxton  won't  take  a  check,  old  man,"  said 
Harkaway  pacifically.  But  Biddleson  was  ob- 
stinate. "  He  will  take  a  check,"  he  insisted. 
"Now  let's  go  up  and  get  it!" 

"  But,  my  dear  f eUow,"  interposed  Biggs, 
"how  are  you  going  to  do  it?  The  Richard- 
son is  the  only  boat  big  enough  to  carry  your 
auto,  and  she  must  make  her  regular  trip  to 
Bones  to-night.  You  will  have  to  wait  till  to- 
morrow and  I'll  order  her  up  to  Sahara  for 
you." 

This  was  a  poser  and  they  discussed  the  mat- 
ter for  some  time  till  Biddleson  had  an  idea. 
*'  Easy  enough! "  he  said,  "  We'll  just  run  up 
in  a  launch,  take  along  a  five  gallon  can  of 
gasoline  and  run  her  home  over  the  road.  It 
isn't  over  twelve  miles,  anyway.  We  can  make 
it  in  an  hour." 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  Biggs  objected,  "  how 
are  you  going  to  get  over  Salmon  Point?" 

Salmon  Point  was  a  rocky  headland  three 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  that  poked  its  foot 
into  a  hundred  feet  of  water.  The  road  went 
over  the  top.     In  England  there  would  have 


66  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

been  a  ledge  cut  around  it,  or  a  tunnel  bored 
through  it  from  the  bottom.  The  fact  that 
neither  of  these  things  had  been  done  made  the 
hill  an  almost  insuperable  obstacle  in  Biggs's 
mind.  "  You  can't  do  it,"  he  announced  with 
finality. 

"Sahnon  Point!"  Biddleson  snorted.  "If 
the  Durable  can't  go  over  that  httle  knoll,  we'll 
go  back  and  make  Buxton  a  present  of  it. 
Why,  Biggs,  that  machine  can  climb  a  tree. 
And  mud  I  The  Durable  with  her  big  wheels 
will  walk  right  through  a  bog  that  would  mire 
a  cow.  Besides,  all  her  weight  is  on  the  rear 
axles  so  she  won't  skid.  NTo  one  ever  heard  of 
a  Durable's  skidding!  Salmon  Point  Hill, 
nothing!"  concluded  Biddleson  with  deepest 
scorn.     "  Why,  we  won't  know  it's  there." 

"I  don't  know  that  it's  not  skidding  is  an 
advantage,"  Biggs  remarked  inanely.  "  There 
are  some  turns  in  that  road  from  Sahara  that 
a  machine  can't  make  imless  she  skids." 

This  was  so  evidently  a  surrender  on  Biggs's 
part  that  it  was  generously  overlooked. 

"Let's  get  started  right  away,"  Biddleson 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  67 

urged.  "My  wife's  gone  off  to  make  calls. 
We  can  slip  away  and  get  the  machine  and  run 
her  down  here  and  surprise  everybody.  We 
won't  say  another  word  about  it." 

When  Biddleson  reached  a  point  where  he 
affirmed  that  no  one  "  need  say  another  word 
about  it,"  argument  was  vain.  Before  he  was 
married,  Biddleson  would  have  joyously  dis- 
cussed any  matter  with  anybody  and  would 
have  gloated  and  planned  and  entertained 
himself  vastly.  But  after  his  marriage,  peo- 
ple gradually  came  to  know  that  when  he  had 
found  a  way  of  doing  anything  without  saying 
another  word,  he  intended  to  accompHsh  that 
thing  without  delay. 

"You'd  better  take  someone  along  to  help 
you,"  Biggs  advised.  "  Of  course,  you'U  know 
just  what  to  do,  but  Buxton  may  have  got 
the  men  to  put  that  auto  'way  back  in  the 
freight  house,  or  on  top  of  the  platform,  or 
in  a  borrow  pit,  or  have  run  it  into  a  corner  and 
piled  wood  in  front  of  it.  A  good  strong  man 
will  come  in  handy!" 

Harkaway  thought  this  was  a  good  sugges- 


68  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

tion,  but  Biddleson  wouldn't  hear  of  it  at  first. 
He  seemed  to  think  it  was  beneath  his  dignity 
to  hire  a  man  to  go  up  with  them.  But  at  the 
last  minute  Biggs  put  on  his  coat  and  solved 
the  problem  by  remarking,  "Look  here,  old 
chap,  I'll  take  you  up  in  my  launch.  Then,  if 
you  need  any  help,  I'll  be  there.'* 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  LADIES  ARE  PRESENT  AT  THE  INITIAL  PER- 
FORMANCE OF  THE  DURABLE 

It  was  just  low  tide,  and  one  hour  later,  when 
Biggs  ran  his  launch  Spithead  up  under  the 
huge  wharf  that  had  been  built  for  all  the  big 
vessels  that  never  went  to  Sahara  and  Buxton 
was  poking  his  nose  over  the  edge  to  see  who  it 
was.  He  seemed  ashamed  of  himself  when  he 
was  recognised,  as  if  he  had  imperilled  his  dig- 
nity by  letting  them  know  he  had  so  httle  to 
do  that  he  had  to  come  down  and  find  out  what 
a  launch  was  doing  in  Sahara. 

Once  inside  the  Sahara  station  Biddleson  an- 
nounced to  Buxton,  now  behind  his  wicket, 
"We've  come  for  the  automobile." 

Buxton  assumed  an  air  of  careless  relief. 
*'  Say,  you  fellows  seem  to  think  we're  running 
a  storage  place  up  here,"  he  said  scornfully. 

69 


70  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  I  expect  you'll  find  your  package  buried  in 
the  warehouse.  We  couldn't  hold  freight  just 
for  you." 

"  Certainly  not! "  said  Biddleson  quickly  de- 
spite Harkaway's  warning  glance.  "  The  six 
boxes  of  clams  and  three  sacks  of  oysters  that 
you  sliip  weekly  must  have  crowded  an  auto- 
mobile clean  out  of  the  shed.  But  if  you'd  let 
us  know  that  our  shipping  orders  had  been  dis- 
obeyed  " 

Here  Harkaway  stepped  in  and  asked  for 
the  freight  bill  in  as  winning  a  tone  as  possi- 
ble, to  offset  the  effect  of  Biddleson's  sarcasm. 
Buxton  tossed  it  out,  after  pretending  not  to 
find  it  among  three  or  four  hundred  bills  which 
anyone  could  see  were  the  train  orders  for  the 
time  since  the  road  was  built.  "  One  hundred 
and  fifty,"  he  said  with  an  air  of  boredom. 

"We'll  give  you  a  check,"  Biddleson  an- 
swered, carelessly  drawing  his  check  book  out 
of  his  pocket.  "Who'll  I  make  it  out  to? 
Yourself  or  the  company?" 

Buxton  carefully  reached  out  for  the  bill  and 
put  it  back  among  the  train  orders.     "  I  don't 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  71 

take  checks  from  unknown  parties,"  he  an- 
nounced crisply.  "  Come  again  when  you  have 
the  cash!" 

"But  you  know  me"  Biddleson  protested. 
"  I'm  the  cashier  of  the  Farmer's  and  Fisher- 
man's Bank." 

Buxton  became  suddenly  deaf,  and  closing 
his  httle  gate,  stared  out  of  it  with  a  look  of 
polite  pain.  "  Sorry,  but  I  don't  know  you," 
he  proclaimed.  "  I  suppose  you  belong  down 
the  bay  somewheres? " 

Biddleson,  ignoring  this  thrust,  turned  to 
Harkaway.  "Wish  I'd  thought  of  this  in 
time  to  cash  it  in  town,"  he  said  sorrowfully. 

"  May  be  a  store  would  cash  it,"  Harkaway 
said  hopefully. 

"  There  isn't  a  store  here  that  I  ever  heard 
of,"  Biddleson  continued  sarcastically.  "And 
you've  just  seen  that  the  agent  hasn't  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  in  his  whole  outfit! 
You  see,"  he  went  on,  enjoying  his  own  sar- 
casm hugely,  "  the  railroad  runs  these  little  one- 
horse  stations  just  like  the  Government  runs 
the  post  ofiices.     When  an  office  is  too  small 


72  FrV'E  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

you  can't  buy  a  money  order  or  cash  one,  be- 
cause the  business  doesn't  justify  putting  a  re- 
sponsible man  in  charge.  And  this  Sahara  sta- 
tion is  the  same  way."  He  turned  and  smiled 
benignantly  on  Buxton  who  had  opened  the 
gate  as  though  he  contemplated  squeezing  him- 
self through  to  talk  with  Biddleson.  "This 
agent  here,"  continued  Bid,  "isn't  allowed  to 
handle  any  sums  over  five  dollars,  probably, 
and  when  he  receives  any  cash  he  has  to  send 
it  right  in  to  headquarters  so  they  will  know 
he's  doing  the  right  thing.  Of  course  he  isn't 
allowed  to  take  this  check,  or  any  check." 

"  But  he  will  charge  us  storage  on  the  ma- 
chine if  we  don't  take  it  out,"  Harkaway  in- 
terposed. 

"NTo,  he  won't,"  Biddleson  assured  him, 
quite  confidentially,  as  if  Buxton  were  out  of 
ear-shot.  "  We  didn't  know  about  this  state  of 
aff'airs,  and  it  isn't  our  fault  that  this  place 
is  too  small  to  transact  business  in  the  usual 
way.  Besides,  this  agent  here  made  the  mis- 
take of  allowing  the  car  to  be  unloaded  here 
when  it  was  billed  to  Bones." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  73 

As  he  ended,  Buxton  slammed  the  wicket 
and  came  out  by  the  door.  "  Look-a-here,  j^ou 
fellows,"  he  said  as  soon  as  he  got  close  enough 
for  them  to  see  the  rage  in  his  eyes.  "  I've 
made  a  mistake,  have  I  ?  Well,  you'll  make  a 
mistake  if  you  don't  shut  up.  If  you  make  an- 
other mistake  hke  the  mistake  you've  already 
made  I'll  throw  you  into  the  bay,  and  that 
won't  be  any  mistake,  either.  I've  stood  all 
your  lip  I'm  going  to.  If  you  want  that  dinky 
gas  wagon,  pay  up!  I  don't  know  you,  and 
don't  want  to,"  he  concluded,  turning  to  Bid- 
dleson;  "  I  never  heard  of  your  darned  bank 
and  you  needn't  think  for  a  minute  that  you  can 
pass  a  worthless  check  on  me." 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  interposed  Biggs  calmly, 
at  this  crucial  moment,  *'  if  you  don't  think  the 
cheque  is  good,  I'll  cash  it  myself."  Just  how 
Biggs  managed  to  pronounce  check  so  that  it 
sounded  as  though  it  must  be  spelled  cheque, 
it  would  be  hard  to  say,  but  that  was  the  way 
Biggs  said  it.  Even  the  court  stenographers 
spelled  it  "  cheque,"  in  shorthand  when  Biggs 
testified  as  a  witness.     He  now  dug  down  la- 


74  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

boriously  into  a  pocket  wallet  and  brought  up 
seven  twenty  dollar  gold  pieces  and  a  ten. 
These  he  gravely  exchanged  for  Biddleson's 
newly  made  out  check. 

"  Now,"  commanded  Biggs,  looking  at  Bux- 
ton with  an  air  of  calm  superiority,  "  my  dear 
fellow,  get  us  a  hammer  and  a  nail-puller.'* 
Buxton  seemed  for  a  moment  to  contemplate 
getting  a  gun  instead,  but  he  thought  better  of 
it  and  went  off  meekly  enough  for  the  tools. 
He  knew  Biggs  and  had  heard  of  the  sleeping 
car  episode  so  he  was  aware  that  resistance 
would  be  useless. 

They  found  the  automobile  resting  in  state 
in  a  large  fat  crate  with  endless  cards  tacked 
over  it,  bits  of  machinery  peeking  out,  and 
what  appeared  to  be  a  wash-boiler  firmly 
strapped  in  the  front  seat.  Harkaway  had 
never  seen  any  picture  in  the  catalogue  of  an 
automobile  with  a  boiler  on  the  front  seat  and 
was  at  a  loss  what  to  think.  Biddleson  smiled 
confidently  and  remarked  in  an  ofF-hand  pro- 
fessional way,  "I  see  they  left  us  some  as- 
sembling to  do." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  75 

While  they  were  waiting  for  'Buxton  to  come 
back  with  the  tools  Biddleson  surreptitiously 
brought  a  catalogue  from  his  pocket  and  con- 
sulted it.  Harkaway  detected  the  manoeuvre 
and  promptly  said,  "  What's  that  tub  doing  on 
the  front  seat  ? " 

"Don't  you  see  it's  tagged?"  his  friend  re- 
sponded irritably.  "Look  at  the  tag  and 
that'll  tell  you.  It's  the — the  gasoline  tank,  of 
course." 

"  A  gasoline  tank  without  a  lid  strikes  me 
as  being  mighty  careless  workmanship,"  said 
Harkaway,  thrusting  his  hand  in  through  the 
slats  of  the  crate  for  the  tag.  "  And  it  doesn't 
look  like  a  gasoline  tank,  anyway.  And  why 
in  the  front  seat,  Bid?  "  At  this  moment  Bux- 
ton returned  and  they  fell  to  ripping  off  the 
boards. 

An  hour  later  Biddleson  got  behind  the  Dur- 
able and  pushed  her  carefully  off  the  skids 
upon  the  floor.  "There!"  he  said  trium- 
phantly. "  She  runs  as  easily  as  a  baby  car- 
riage. TsTow  we'll  fill  the  tank  and  connect  the 
batteries  and  go." 


76  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Harkaway  had  quietly  possessed  himself  of 
the  tag  on  the  wash-boiler  aifair  and  found 
that  it  wasn't  a  wash-boiler  at  all  nor  a  gaso- 
line tank,  but  was  the  case  that  went  under 
the  machinery  and  caught  what  oil  dripped 
down.  The  tag  stated  that  it  wasn't  put  in 
place  because  it  might  get  bent  there  and  the 
seat  was  a  safer  place  for  it  to  travel  in.  So 
now  Harkaway  said,  "  We've  got  to  put  this 
case  on.  Bid,  before  we  go." 

"That's  easy,"  Biddleson  answered  care- 
lessly. "  Just  crawl  in  under  and  put  it  on,  if 
that's  where  it  belongs." 

Harkaway  had  never  crawled  under  an  auto 
before  and  it  struck  him  forcibly  that  this 
wasn't  the  time  to  begin!  He  explained  that 
he  had  always  understood  that  it  was  bad  form 
to  go  under  a  machine  till  you  were  certain  it 
wouldn't  run  otherwise.  So  he  refused. 
After  arguing  the  question  for  some  time  Bid- 
dleson gave  in.  "Oh,  well,"  he  said,  "we'll 
tun  back  to  Tidewater  without  it  on.  Who 
wants  a  case  over  the  machinery,  am^way? 
You  have  to  take  it  off  again  whenever  any- 
thing happens." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  7T 

They  found  the  opening  to  the  gasoline  tank 
and  as  there  seemed  to  be  some  in  it  they  de- 
cided not  to  put  in  the  five  gallons 
they  had  brought  along  just  yet.  Then 
they  connected  up  the  batteries  and 
Biddleson  assumed  the  responsibility  of 
tightening  up  a  good  many  bolts  and 
loosening  some  others  and  generally  showing 
that  he  knew  all  about  a  Durable.  When  ev- 
erybody was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  next  Hark- 
away,  backed  by  Biggs,  suggested  that  it 
would  be  well  to  see  whether  she  would  run  or 
not.  So  they  took  turns  cranking  till  Bux- 
ton, now  amicable,  came  over  and  wanted  to 
know  whether  they  hadn't  better  fill  the  lamps 
too.  "You'll  need  them  to  see  to  work  that 
handle  pretty  soon,  and  anyway  it's  getting 
near  closing-up  time  and  you'd  better  take  that 
machine  outside." 

So  they  hauled  it  outside  and  cranked  some 
more,  till  they  found  that  it  must  be  the  gaso- 
line that  didn't  feed — Biggs  bringing  his 
launch  experience  to  bear — they  discovered  the 
stop  cock  and  turned  it  on.  When  that  was 
fixed  and  there  was  a  fine,  gassy  smell  all  over 


78  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Sahara,  Biddleson  climbed  into  the  seat  and 
told  Harkaway  to  crank  her  again. 

"  You'd  better  point  her  the  way  you  want 
her  to  go,  first,  hadn't  you?  "  urged  Harkaway. 

"Nonsense,"  said  Biddleson  airily.  "  Look 
how  easily  the  front  wheels  swing  when  I  push 
this  lever  over.  Anybody  can  steer  this  ma- 
chine. Now  you  just  go  ahead  and  crank. 
Crank!" 

Harkaway  saw  that  Biddleson  had  a  firm 
hold  of  the  lever  he  was  talking  about.  It  had 
the  appearance  of  the  handle  of  an  old-fash- 
ioned churn  plunger,  but  he  seemed  to  know 
what  it  was  for,  so  Harkaway  resignedly  spit 
on  his  palms  and  turned  the  crank.  It  went 
over  so  suddenly  that  he  just  had  time  to  jerk 
it  away  before  the  Durable  swept  him  off  his 
feet  and  started  briskly  off  for  the  turn  of  the 
road  to  Tidewater.  Biddleson  pulled  frantic- 
ally on  the  lever,  but  without  apparent  effect, 
as  the  Durable  kept  on  going  and  was  now  a 
good  two  hundred  feet  away.  At  the  last  mo- 
ment he  stepped  on  the  reverse  pedal  and  the 
car  started  back  with  an  awful  roar  just  in 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  79 

time  to  miss  running  down  two  ladies  who 
stood  in  the  road  and  shrieked. 

By  great  good  luck  Biddleson  managed  to 
stop  the  machine's  backward  rush  by  standing 
on  the  brake.  The  Durable  gave  one  or  two 
spasmodic  coughs,  an  ineffectual  lurch,  and 
came  to  a  dead  stop  exactly  as  it  was  about  to 
thrust  the  indomitable  Biggs,  who  had  his 
back  against  it,  over  the  edge  of  the  wharf  and 
into  the  water.  Biggs  gingerly  stepped  out 
of  his  dangerous  position  and  received  Harka- 
way's  thanks  and  congratulations  calmly. 
*'  One  more  cough  and  you'd  have  smashed  my 
launch  down  there,"  he  explained. 

At  the  end  of  the  profound  silence  that  fol- 
lowed this  spectacular  stop  and  Biggs's  serene 
excuse  for  his  heroic  presence  of  mind,  the  two 
ladies  gradually  recovered  their  courage  and 
approached. 

Biddleson  dropped  the  steering  lever  and 
called  out  hastily,  masking  his  surprise,  "  My 
dear,  you  shouldn't  get  right  in  front  of  an 
automobile  that  way.  I  almost  ran  you 
down." 


80  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Harkaway  stared  and  saw  that  it  was  Mir- 
iam, but  not  alone.  He  wondered  who  the 
tall  and  good  looking  young  woman  with  her 
was.  "  Miriam  is  always  picking  up  a  new 
friend,"  he  thought  to  himself. 

*'  I  thought  it  would  be  fine  to  come  over  the 
trail  and  meet  you  boys,"  Miriam  said  tri- 
umphantly, "I  told  Dorothy  it  would  be  just 
the  thing  and  besides  she  didn't  get  her  trunk 
last  night  and  Captain  Jacobson  said  it  might 
have  been  carried  to  Sahara  by  mistake — ^you 
know  they  do  that  once  in  a  while,  Mr.  Hark- 
away,"  she  added,  blithely  ignoring  the  ob- 
vious fact  that  this  very  error  was  responsible 
for  the  presence  of  the  Durable  where  it  was. 

Miriam,  it  could  be  seen,  was  in  ex- 
cellent humour  and  went  on  happily, 
"  Captain  Jacobson  told  us  Mr.  Biggs 
had  brought  you  up  here  in  his  launch 
for  the  automobile  and  he  thought  we'd 
have  plenty  of  time  to  get  here  before  5''ou 
started.  And  even  if  you  did  start  before  we 
arrived  we'd  meet  you  somewhere.  Now,  Dor- 
othy, you  get  in  the  back  seat  with  Mr.  Hark- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  81 

away.  Mr.  Harkaway,  help  her  in.  Rae, 
which  side  do  you  sit  on  to  run  it?  The  right 
side?  Well,  help  me  in  and  I'll  sit  on  the  left 
side.  'Now  when  you  get  in,  Mr.  Harkaway, 
we're  all  ready  and  let's  go.  We'll  be  back 
just  in  time  for  dinner." 

But  Mrs.  Biddleson  had  counted  without 
Biggs.  That  individual  now  came  up  and  re- 
marked, "  Glad  to  see  you,  Mrs.  Biddleson. 
Bid,  you've  forgot  that  other  case.  Buxton 
says  it's  yours,  too.  I  just  looked  in  it  and 
it  seems  to  be  wheels  and  a  big  buggy  seat." 

Biddleson  seemed  tremendously  relieved  and 
dropped  the  starting  handle  to  the  ground. 
"We  clean  forgot  that  rumble  seat  and  the 
extra  wheels,"  he  exclaimed.  "We  must  get 
them.  Hark,  and  take  'em  along." 

" But  where  will  you  put  them?"  demanded 
his  wife.  *'  There  isn't  any  room  for  them  in 
the  car  and  we  must  be  home  by  six  o'clock, 
Rae." 

Dorothy  cast  a  quizzical  glance  upon  the  dis- 
comfited Harkaway.  "You  see,  you  men 
came  up  here  expecting  to  do  all  this  quietly 


82  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

and  without  bothering  about  us,"  she  re- 
marked. "  And  now  we've  taken  quite  the  en- 
tire charge  of  the  expedition.  Do  you  feel 
very  angry?" 

Harkaway  caught  the  mischievous  gleam 
under  the  dark  lashes  and  mustered  all  his  po- 
liteness. "I'm  sure  we're  exceedingly  glad," 
he  murmured.  "But  what  shall  we  do  with 
the  rest  of  the  stuff?" 

"  Leave  it  till  to-morrow,"  said  Mrs.  Biddle- 
son  promptly,  settling  herself  back  in  the  seat 
and  brushing  some  excelsior  from  her  skirt. 

"  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do,"  said  Biggs,  look- 
ing intently  at  Dorothy.  "  I'll  take  that  stuff 
back  with  me  in  the  launch." 

"  Now  that's  what  I  call  a  good  fellow,"  said 
Harkaway  heartily. 

"Well,  if  that's  arranged,"  Miriam  re- 
marked, "let's  be  going  on.     Rae!" 

Harkaway  glanced  at  Biddleson,  smiled 
slightly  and  jumped  in  beside  Dorothy.  Then 
he  leaned  out  of  the  tonneau  and  said  loudly, 
"Bid,  we're  all  ready!" 

Biddleson  picked  up  the  tools  and  looked 
savagely  into  the  works  and  generally  delaj'^ed 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  83 

matters  while  Biggs  and  the  now  thoroughly- 
tamed  Buxton  packed  the  contents  of  the  other 
box  into  the  launch.  But  he  kept  this  up  too 
long,  for  Mrs.  Bidddleson  got  worried  sud- 
denly and  said,  "Rae,  is  there  anything  the 
matter  with  this  automobile?  Is  there?  Why 
didn't  you  tell  me  there  was?"  She  immedi- 
ately prepared  to  climb  out  again. 

"  There  is  nothing  the  matter,"  he  responded 
gloomily.  "  Only  that  dub  that  shipped  it 
from  Chicago  had  things  mixed  up  so  I  have  to 
look  closely  to  see  whether  everything  is  all 
right  again." 

Here  Dorothy  leaned  out  again  and  said, 
"  Rae,  you  can't  fool  me.  I  saw  you  running 
this  machine  not  half  an  hour  ago.  You  don't 
want  to  show  off;  and,  besides,  you're  angry 
because  Miriam  and  I  are  here.  Why  don't 
you  let  Mr.  Harkaway  have  a  try  at  it?" 

"No,  really,"  said  Harkaway  hastily.  "I 
actually  know  nothing  about  this  car.  Bid  is 
the  boy!  Climb  in.  Bid,  and  show  the  ladies 
how  nicely  it  runs."  With  this  he  settled  him- 
self firmly  in  his  seat,  secretly  prepared  to 
jump  for  his  life,  as  soon  as  occasion  arose. 


CHAPTER  VI 

BIDDLESON  ENLARGES  HIS  KNOWLEDGE  OF 
MECHANICS 

With  an  air  of  hopeless  martyrdom  Biddle- 
son  got  in  after  solemnly  cranking  the  engine 
and  handing  the  handle  up  to  Harkaway  as 
though  it  were  a  last  keep-sake  and  he  must 
carry  it  in  his  lap  and  never  again  lose  sight 
of  it  no  matter  what  happened.  Then  he 
firmly  took  hold  of  the  lever  that  controlled 
the  destinies  of  the  Durable.  His  lips  moved 
as  he  cautiously  depressed  the  whole  business, 
which,  the  book  of  instructions  said,  was  the 
proper  manoeuvre  to  put  the  low  gear  into 
commission.  This  was  correct,  but  he  had  his 
heel  on  the  reverse  pedal — he  hoped  it  was  the 
brake — and  there  was  a  loud,  harsh  buzz  under 
the  seat  and  the  machine  remained  motionless 
except  for  some  apparent  excitement  in  the  in- 
terior. Bid  hastily  restored  the  lever  to  the 
"first  position"  and  carefully  and  anxiously 

84 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  85 

pulled  the  handle  toward  his  chin.  This  time 
he  got  results,  but  of  a  different  character. 
His  foot  still  being  on  the  reverse  pedal  the 
Durable  started  backwards  towards  the  edge  of 
the  wharf. 

When  it  was  stopped  and  Harkaway  had 
cranked  the  engine  again  and  Biddleson  had 
assured  Miriam  that  his  foot  was  off  the  re- 
verse pedal,  Harkaway  climbed  in  and  Bid- 
dleson pulled  the  churn-handle  up  and  the 
Durable  slowly  gained  momentum.  Then  it 
cheerfully  tuck-tucked  away  towards  the  turn 
in  the  road  while  Miriam  smiled  sweetly  and 
Dorothy  said,  "  What  a  lark  if  he  missed  the 
turn!" 

She  said  this  at  exactly  the  right  time,  and 
Biddleson  and  Harkaway  both  got  out  to  pull 
the  car  out  of  the  brush  and  straighten  it  out 
so  that  when  it  was  started  again  it  would  have 
plain  sailing.  As  Harkaway  chmbed  back 
into  the  tonneau  Dorothy  gave  him  a  look  that 
seemed  to  congratulate  him  on  his  silence.  He 
returned  this  glance  as  haughtily  as  possible 
and  she  laughed  outright. 


86  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"What  in  the  world  is  that  child  giggling 
at?"  Mrs.  Biddleson  demanded  softly,  nudg- 
ing her  husband's  arm. 

"  Don't  touch  mel "  Biddleson  snorted,  jam- 
ming the  lever  down  and  putting  on  the  brake. 
This  manoeuvre — ^the  brake  seemed  to  take  hold 
with  its  teeth — resulted  in  Mrs.  Biddleson's 
leaning  over  directly  in  the  line  of  her  hus- 
band's vision.  When  she  recovered  her  bal- 
ance and  the  car  started  on  again,  Harkaway 
made  stealthy  motions  to  Dorothy  to  inform 
her  that  this  was  no  season  for  remarks  of  any 
kind.  She  seemed  rather  astonished  but  was 
silent. 

The  first  mile  was  made  in  good  style.  An- 
other mile  was  traversed  with  equally  bril- 
liant results. 

At  last  they  came  to  Salmon  Point  Hill,  and 
ominously  steep  it  looked.  Biddleson  gave 
one  glance  at  it,  then  stopped  the  car  abruptly. 

"Why  do  you  stop,  Rae?"  asked  Miriam, 
plaintively,  "  I  thought  we  were  going  beauti- 
fully just  then." 

*'  Question  of  gear,"  rephed  Biddleson,  with 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  87 

a  crushing  air  of  knowledge.  "  Say,  Hark,'* 
he  went  on  eagerly,  "what  do  you  think  of 
taking  it  on  the  high  to  test  her  out? " 

"The  low  is  surer,"  said  Harkaway,  du- 
biously, glancing  about  him  as  if  searching  for 
a  good  place  to  jump.  "  When  we  know  the 
machine  better,  perhaps " 

"  What  do  they  mean? "  inquired  Miriam,  in 
an  audible  aside  to  Dorothy.  "  Do  you  believe 
they  know  anything  about  it?  " 

Dorothy  giggled. 

"  Oh^  rot! "  was  Biddleson's  answer  to  Hark- 
away.  "  I  know  this  machine  all  right.  The 
catalogue  says  she  can  eat  up  all  kinds  of  hills 
on  the  high,  so  here  goes ! " 

With  an  air  of  confidence  he  manipulated 
the  handle,  properly  this  time,  and  the  Durable 
started  up  with  painful  slowness.  Soon  a  loud 
knocking  under  the  seat  announced  that  the 
engine  was  all  in;  almost  immediately  that 
mechanism  ceased  its  laboured  movements,  and 
died. 

"This  is  where  I  get  out,"  said  Dorothj'', 
promptly   leaving   the   car.     Harkaway    fol- 


88  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

lowed  her,  and  from  the  vantage  ground  of 
a  wayside  rock  parleyed  with  Biddleson,  who 
was  still  determined  to  use  the  high  gear  to 

mount  the  hill.     "  The  catalogue  says "  he 

began  again.  "Bother  the  catalogue,"  said 
Harkaway,  "I  know  the  low  is  better!" 

"  What's  the  matter  with  the  intermediate? " 
demanded  Biddleson,  quickly  turning  over  the 
pages  of  his  catalogue.  "  Er — that  is,  I  guess 
you're  right,  old  man,"  he  went  on,  hastily,  ob- 
serving that  the  Durable  had  no  intermediate 
gear. 

Harkaway,  with  exemplary  patience, 
cranked  the  machine  once  more,  and  followed 
Dorothy  into  the  tonneau. 

To  get  the  low  gear  into  operation,  accord- 
ing to  the  book  of  instructions,  one  should 
press  a  button  in  the  middle  of  the  churn  han- 
dle and  then  slowly  but  firmly  thrust  the  whole 
works  towards  the  centre  of  the  earth.  That 
sounded  quite  easy,  so  Biddleson  released  the 
brake  and  pressed  the  handle  with  great  firm- 
ness, but  forgot  to  put  his  thumb  on  the  but- 
ton.    The  handle  stayed  where   it   was;   the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  89 

Durable  retired  inexorably  down  the  hill,  the 
engine  racing  madly.  In  his  excitement  Bid- 
dleson  jerked  the  handle  almost  out  by  the 
roots  and  then  everything  stopped,  and  Mrs. 
Biddleson  discovered  the  wash-boiler,  which 
had  been  stowed  on  the  foot-board,  right 
against  her  feet.  "  Of  course  it  won't  go  up 
the  hill  when  this  thing  isn't  on,"  she  said. 

This  interested  Dorothy  and  she  leaned  over 
to  inspect  it  and  inquired  what  it  was.  Hark- 
away  told  her  it  w^as  to  screw  on  under  the  en- 
gine to  keep  the  dust  out  and  the  oil  in. 
"  Then  it  wouldn't  help  us  up  the  hill,"  she 
said.  "  For  it  would  be  useless  unless  the  en- 
gine was  going.    And  the  engine  has  stopped." 

This  was  not  to  be  denied  and  even  Biddle- 
son acknowledged  that  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  crank  the  engine  again.  Harkaway  got 
the  crank  and  tried  to  turn  it.  It  wouldn't 
turn.  Biddleson  looked  over  his  shoulder  at 
him.     "By  jove!  you've  bent  it,"  he  said. 

"  I  didn't,"  Harkaway  replied  angrily. 

"Well,  it  won't  go,"  said  Biddleson,  as 
though  that  settled  it. 


90  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

At  this  moment  Miriam  took  hold  of  the 
churn  handle  to  assist  her  in  rising  out  of  her 
seat.  In  doing  so  she  pulled  it  downwards  and 
thus  released  the  high  speed  clutch  which  Bid- 
dleson  had  set  in  his  frantic  efforts  to  do  some- 
thing a  few  minutes  before.  This  freed  the 
engine  and  the  car  dropped  backwards. 

*'  There ! "  said  Dorothy,  when  she  had  stuck 
a  block  of  wood  under  the  rear  wheel  and  the 
Durable  was  stationary  again.  "Aren't  you 
glad  we  got  out?  " 

Biddleson  said  nothing  but  got  out,  too.  "  I 
think  you'd  better  get  in  and  hold  things  while 
I  see  what  the  matter  is.  Hark,"  he  said. 

"Hold  nothing,"  Harkaway  responded, 
glaring  into  the  now  fast  declining  sun.  "  If 
you  think  she's  going  to  start,  sit  on  that 
block  of  wood  to  keep  her  from  going  back 
wards.  You  can  make  a  noise  like  the  Rock 
of  Gibraltar,  if  you  want.  I'm  going  to 
smoke  a  cigarette."  He  retired  to  a  grassy 
bank  by  the  roadside  to  smoke  and  watch 
Biddleson  get  busy  with  the  works.  The 
crank  seemed  to  be  the  only  thing  that  had 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  91 

netted  positive  results,  so  he  began  with  that. 
He  carefully  inserted  it  in  the  hole  provided 
for  it  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  Durable, 
gave  it  a  mighty  push,  and  to  everybody's 
huge  surprise  and  his  own  proud  delight  the 
Durable's  three  cylinders  took  hold  at  once 
and  buzzed  in  a  loud  and  agreeable  way  sug- 
gesting speed,  power  and  presently  the  top  of 
Salmon  Point  Hill. 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  Bid  importantly. 

"Well,  why  didn't  you  say  so,  then? "  asked 
/Miriam  with  some  asperity. 

Biddleson  didn't  answer  this  question;  he 
couldn't.  Silently  they  all  chmbed  back  into 
their  seats  and  arranged  themselves  comfort- 
ably while  Bid  experimented  with  the  button 
in  the  handle.  Slowly — and  properly,  this 
time — ^he  depressed  the  lever.  They  could  all 
feel  the  friction  band  take  hold  and  hear  the 
harsh  grating  of  the  low  speed  gears  getting 
down  to  work.  The  Durable  calmly  moved 
forward  away  from  the  block  of  wood  that 
Dorothy  had  left  under  the  wheel.  This  ma- 
jestic progress  was  continued  for  at  least  six 


9a  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

inches  when  the  car  stopped  again.  Some- 
thing unusual  was  happening  in  the  mechanical 
department  of  the  Durable.  "Mercy!" 
screamed  Miriam,  who  had  gone  through  the 
San  Francisco  earthquake.  "  What  on  earth  is 
that?" 

The  whole  party  felt  three  distinct  seismic 
shocks.  The  Durable  moved  forward  and 
backward  with  an  undulating  movement.  The 
first  shock  took  the  car  forward  a  half -inch, 
then  they  slipped  back  to  within  four  inches 
of  the  block;  the  next  shock  enabled  them  to 
recover  a  quarter-inch  of  the  distance  lost ;  the 
third  shock  was  weaker  and  unimportant  and 
the  Durable  returned  permanently  to  anchor- 
age. Without  a  word,  Miriam  jumped  out  of 
the  car.  "No  one  could  tell  what  the  thing 
was  going  to  do  next,"  she  explained  later 
with  much  dignity.  The  rest  were  more  de- 
liberate, but  disembarked.  Harkaway  retired 
again  to  his  seat  on  the  bank  to  soothe  his 
troubled  nerves  with  nicotine.  Biddleson,  pale 
but  game,  took  the  wrench  from  the  pocket 
where  he  carried  it,  gathered  up  the  crank  and 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  93 

the  oil-can  that  they  had  evidently  intended  to 
leave  on  the  spot  as  a  trophy  and  bravely  at- 
tacked the  silent  Durable. 

He  first  removed  the  cushioned  front  seats 
that  hid  the  engine  from  view.  Miriam  took 
one  and  Dorothy  appropriated  the  other,  and 
they  joined  Harkaway  by  the  roadside.  Bid- 
dleson  then  removed  the  detachable  tonneau 
and  jacked  up  the  front  wheels  before  he 
thought  to  take  off  his  coat.  It  occurred  to 
him  while  he  was  hunting  for  his  pipe  that  he 
was  not  only  warm,  but  he  was  mussing  up  his 
coat;  so  he  took  it  off  and  lit  his  pipe.  He 
smoked  thoughtfully  and  deliberately  as  he 
surveyed  the  various  parts  of  the  Durable  that 
cluttered  up  the  highway. 

"Why  doesn't  he  do  something?"  said  Mrs. 
Biddleson  impatiently,  as  if  her  husband  hadn't 
done  too  much  already.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
Biddleson  was  stuck.  He  couldn't  think  of 
anything  else  to  do  except  putting  the  things 
back  again  and  that  he  didn't  wish  to  do  be- 
cause it  would  have  made  his  original  perform- 
ance seem  purposeless. 


94)  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"Rae  is  quite  a  machinist,"  remarked  Dor- 
othy to  the  inscrutable  Harkaway.  "  Isn't 
he?" 

"  Yes,"  Harkaway  answered  lazily.  "  Most 
energetic  and  competent,  too.  I  couldn't  have 
taken  that  tonneau  off  in  half  the  time.  I 
wonder,  though,  what  he'll  do  next.  I  sup- 
pose he'll  crank  it." 

Sure  enough,  Biddleson  cranked  it.  And 
while  he  laboured  over  that  device  Harkaway 
reclined  at  his  ease  in  the  shadow  of  the  hill  and 
smoked.  Below — not  very  far  below  to  be 
sure,  because  they  hadn't  attained  any  great 
altitude  yet — ^lay  beautiful  De  Poe  Sound 
glittering  in  the  sunshine.  Back  in  the 
direction  of  Sahara,  Biggs  could  be  seen 
coming  slowly  but  surelj''  with  the  launch. 
With  him,  besides  the  wheels  and  rumble  seat, 
was  the  five-gallon  can  of  gasoline  that  Bid- 
dleson had  ordered  Harkaway  to  empty  into 
the  tank  of  the  Durable.  Harkaway  now  re- 
membered with  a  sinking  heart  that  he  had  for- 
gotten that  important  ceremony  and  it  was 
clear  to  his  mind  that  what  had  brought  them 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  95 

thus  far  on  their  way  was  only  the  cupful  or 
so  left  in  the  machine  at  the  factory.  He 
wisely  concluded  to  say  nothing  of  his  neglect 
until  Biggs  with  their  five-gallon  can  came 
within  hailing  distance. 

Why,  he  asked  himself  cannily,  should  he 
bring  down  on  his  head  the  wrath  and  scorn 
of  the  whole  party  to  no  purpose?  When 
Biggs  arrived  it  would  be  time  enough,  and 
possibly  he  could  manage  to  lay  the  blame  on 
Biddleson.  The  scene  was  one  of  peace  and 
quiet — peace,  except  for  Biddleson's  mad  la- 
bours with  the  crank  and  Mrs.  Biddleson's  very 
proper  anxiety  regarding  the  dinner  which, 
she  was  sure,  would  be  spoiled,  and  her  fre- 
quent questions  as  to  why  Rae  didn't  turn  the 
crank  the  other  way. 

It  suddenly  occurred  to  Harkaway  that  he 
didn't  know  who  the  girl  by  his  side  was. 
She  was  evidently  a  very  close  friend  of  Mr, 
and  Mrs.  Biddleson.  It  was  just  as  evident 
that  she  wasn't  Miriam's  sister,  for  Miriam's 
sister  was  only  a  little  girl  and  they  called  her 
"the  babe"  and  "the  kid."     Hadn't  Bid  no 


96  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

more  than  a  week  ago  remarked  that  his  sister- 
in-law  was  in  a  school  in  the  East  "  growing 
up"?  He  determined  to  devote  the  brief 
leisure  at  his  disposal  to  finding  out  who  Dor- 
othy was.  A  Sherlock  Holmes  would  have 
solved  the  mystery  by  asking  at  once,  but 
Harkaway  preferred  to  be  more  subtle. 

"  Biddleson  isn't  a  bad  sort  when  you  know 
liim,"  he  began,  turning  to  Dorothy.  "  ReaUy, 
he's  quite  mild-mannered  and  polite,  even  if 
you  shouldn't  think  so  just  now."  At  that 
moment  Bid  was  up  on  his  feet  and  stamping 
the  ground  in  a  fearful  rage  because  the  crank 
had  slipped  and  he  had  gone  down  with  it  and 
bumped  liis  head  on  the  way. 

"When  I  know  him?"  queried  Dorothy,  as 
though  she  didn't  understand. 

"Yes,"  said  Harkaway,  in  enthusiastic  ap- 
proval of  his  friend.  "  You  should  see  him  in 
his  proper  environment,  in  all  the  glory  of  his 
glad  rags,  presiding  with  grace  and  dignity  at 
a  pubHc  banquet,  or  smiHng  genially  at  a  quiet 
little  dinner  at  home.  He  presents  a  much 
better  appearance,  too,  with  a  carving  knife  in 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  97 

his  right  hand  and  the  fork  in  the  other  than 
he  does  with  an  oil-can  in  his  right  fist,  a 
monkey  wrench  in  his  left  and  a  smudge  of 
grease  across  his  forehead,  to  say  nothing  of  a 
grievous  desire  to  swear.  Bid  is  labouring 
under  certain  disadvantages  that  don't  often 
occur  and  some  day  you'll  recall  with  wonder 
this  painful  scene." 

Biddleson  was  labouring  under  disadvan- 
tages. He  was  back  at  work  with  the  crank, 
but  was  savagely  turning  it  the  wrong  way  in 
response  to  an  insistent  demand  from  his  wife 
that  he  try  it  just  once.  She  had  gone  over 
to  see  that  he  did  it,  and  stood  by,  awaiting 
results  and  silently  approving  her  own  re- 
sourcefulness. 

*'  I  suppose  you've  known  Mrs.  Bid  longer 
than  you  have  her  husband,"  continued  Hark- 
away,  hoping  that  Dorothy  would  say  some- 
thing that  would  give  him  a  clue  to  her  iden- 
tity. 

"Is  it  possible  you  don't  know  who  I  am?" 
Dorothy  was  about  to  say,  but  didn't.  Instead 
she    remarked    hesitatingly,    "Ye-e-es,    I've 


98  FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

known  her  a  little  longer.  I  suppose  you've 
kno^vn  them  a  long  time." 

"  Known  'em  always,"  answered  Harkaway. 
"  I  can't  remember  the  time  when  Bid  wasn't 
bothering  around.  And  Mrs.  Bid,  why,  when 
she  was  a  little  girl  I  used  to   hold  her   on 

my "     Harkaway  stopped.     The  idea  of 

his  holding  Mrs.  Biddleson  on  his  knees  even 
when  she  was  a  little  girl  seemed  preposterous 
all  at  once. 

"  NTo  one  can  tell  me  anything  about  the  De 
Poes,"  resumed  Harkaway,  speaking  rapidly 
to  cover  his  confusion.  "Knew  'em  all: 
grandfather,  grandmother,  uncles,  cousins  and 
aunts,  her — a " 

"You  know  her  sister?"  interrupted  Doro- 
thy, guilelessly. 

"Sister!"  echoed  Harkaway.  "Why,  of 
course.  She — a — she's — ^Why,  to  be  sure,"  he 
stammered,  racking  his  mind  for  some  fact 
regarding  Mrs.  Biddleson's  sister.  "  Yes,"  he 
said,  "I  know  her  well.  Too  well,  if  any- 
thing," he  added,  a  faint  recollection  coming 
to  him.     "  Beastly  httle  nuisance,"  he  went  on 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE  99 

as  the  memory  became  clearer;  ''short  dresses, 
long  hair,  black  eyes  and  acted  as  if  she  knew 
everything.  She's  away  at  school  somewhere. 
Lord,  I  hope  she'll  never  come  back!  You 
know  Miriam  talks  of  marrying  her  off  to  me, 
but  I  guess  not !  They  used  to  call  her — used 
to  call  her " 

"Dolly!"  called  Mrs.  Biddleson  oppor- 
tunely, as  though  to  assist  Harkaway  in  grop- 
ing for  the  name.  "  Dolly,  dear,  come  here  a 
minute!" 

"Yes,  they  used  to  call  me  Dolly,"  said 
Dorothy  haughtily.  "And  I'll  try,  Mr. 
Harkaway,  not  to  be  a  beastly  nuisance  and  I 
promise  faithfully  not  to  marry  you."  She 
got  up  from  the  auto  seat  as  gracefully  and 
with  as  much  dignity  as  she  could,  and  stalked 
stiffly  across  the  road  to  her  sister. 

"  That's  another  time  I  was  an  ass,"  thought 
Harkaway  miserably.  "So  that's  the  ' baby ' 
Bid  said  Miriam  would  marry  me  to  only  she 
was  too  yoimg.  It's  all  off  now,  anyway,"  he 
reflected  in  great  gloom.  "  She  wouldn't 
marry  me  in  a  thousand  years!     I'll  get  even 


100        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

with  somebody  for  this.  Bid  got  me  into  this 
mess  and  I'll  fix  him.  If  it  wasn't  his  fault 
about  that  gasoline,  it  won't  be  mine — I'll 
make  sure  of  that!" 

"Say,  Bid!"  he  called  as  he  walked  across 
the  road  to  the  dismantled  Durable.  "  I'll  bet 
money  you  turned  off  the  gasohne  that  last 
stop  you  made.  Turn  it  on  again  and  perhaps 
she'U  run." 

"  I  never  touched  it,"  said  Bid  indignantly. 

"  She  was  going  all  right  up  to  then,  wasn't 
she?"  demanded  Harkaway. 

"Yes,"  Biddleson  admitted  doubtfully. 

"Well,  why  isn't  she  going  now?"  insisted 
Harkaway.  "You  turned  oif  the  gasoline, 
that's  what  you  did." 

"  I  say  I  didn't  turn  it  off,"  said  Biddleson 
angrily.  "It's  on  now,  and  you  can  see  for 
yourself  if  you  don't  believe  it." 

"  Sure  enough,"  agreed  Harkaway,  after 
giving  the  valve  apparently  a  careful  look. 
"But  I  can't  see  why  she  won't  go!  You've 
done  everything  there  is  to  be  done  except  take 
off  the  wheels  and  remove  the  transmission 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        101 

gear  and  I'm  sure  you've  made  some  mistake 
about  the  gasoline.  The  best  car  ever  built 
won't  run  without  gasoline,  you  know." 

"Perhaps  there  isn't  any  gasoline,"  sug- 
gested Dorothy. 

"Gasoline!"  snorted  Biddleson.  "We've 
got  five  gallons  in  the  tank.  Harkaway  knows 
that  because  he  put  it  in  himself,  that  is,  unless 
he  forgot." 

"Me!"  exclaimed  Harkaway  with  a  great 
show  of  indignation.  "  You  needn't  think  you 
can  blame  me  because  I  didn't  put  gasoline  in 
the  tank.  You  are  the  one  who  didn't  put 
gasohne  in  the  tank.  You  can't  deny  that!" 
This  accusation  was  so  obviously  a  fact  that 
Bid  didn't  even  attempt  to  deny  it.  Never- 
theless, he  wasn't  quite  satisfied  with  the  po- 
sition that  Harkaway  had  got  him  into. 
"Didn't  I  tell  you  to  fill  the  tank?"  he  said 
harshly. 

"  You  told  me  to  fill  the  water  tank,"  replied 
Harkaway  evasively.  "You  don't  suppose  I 
put  the  gasoline  into  that,  do  you?  While 
I  was  carrying  the  water  I  heard  you  fussing 


102        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

around  because  you  couldn't  find  a  tin  fun- 
nel and  a  chamois  skin  rag.  No  one  but  a 
blooming  chump  would  go  to  that  bother  un- 
less he  intended  to  use  'em." 

"  I  couldn't  find  'em  either,"  said  Biddleson 
gloomily. 

"  Then  we  haven't  any  gasoline,"  Harkaway 
said  with  conviction. 

"Let's  look,"  said  Bid.  He  unscrewed  the 
cap,  leaned  over  and  peered  into  the  long 
cylindrical  hole  anxiously.  "You'd  better 
look.  Hark.  I  couldn't  see  any.  My  eyes  are 
getting  weak,  though,"  he  added  hopefully. 

Harkaway  looked  carefully  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  tank,  slowly  and  silently  screwed 
the  cap  on  again,  lit  a  cigarette,  climbed  into 
the  detached  tonneau  reposing  by  the  road- 
side, its  front  facing  the  water  like  a  gigantic 
scoop  shovel,  sat  down  and  gazed  meditatively 
at  the  mountains  on  the  other  side  of  the  bay. 

"Well,  why  don't  you  say  something?"  de- 
manded Mrs.  Biddleson  impatiently. 

"There  isn't  even  a  smell,"  he  announced 
and  relapsed  into  silence. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        103 

"What  are  we  going  to  do?"  she  asked  in 
despair. 

*'  There's  Biggs ;  perhaps  he  has  some,"  sug- 
gested Harkaway. 

^^Who  is  Biggs?"  inquired  Dorothy,  with 
interest. 

"Yon  is  Biggs!"  Harkaway  answered, 
pointing  dramatically  at  the  approaching 
launch,  which,  loaded  to  the  guards  with  the 
four  extra  wheels,  the  rumble  seat  and  the 
red,  brass-bound  trunk,  looked  like  a  carriage 
factory  at  sea. 

"  Hi,  there !  Biggs ! "  shouted  Biddleson. 

"Harvey!"  called  Mrs.  Biddleson  shrilly. 

"Mr.  Biggs!"  ventured  Dorothy,  not  so 
loud. 

The  launch,  coughing  steadily,  ran  in  to 
shore,  poking  her  nose  softly  into  the  sand. 
Biggs  stepped  carefully  out,  and  climbed  up 
the  bank,  bringing  with  him  the  five  gallon  can 
of  gasoline  which  he  silently  handed  to  Biddle- 
son. He  lifted  his  cap  poHtely  to  Mrs.  Biddle- 
son and,  without  looking  at  Dorothy,  went  back 
and  got  into  his  boat. 


104        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  Thanks,  old  man,"  Harkaway  called. 

"Don't  mention  it,"  Biggs  answered,  "i 
thought  you  might  need  it." 

"Useful,  but  not  at  all  sociable,  it  seems," 
said  Dorothy,  piqued  by  the  fact  that  the 
rather  handsome  Englishman  hadn't  noticed 
her.     "Who  did  you  say  he  was?  " 

"I  didn't  say,"  rephed  Harkaway.  "But 
he  is  the  owner  of  the  only  well  trained  barom- 
eter in  America,  the  agent  of  the  Tidewater 
Navigation  Company,  an  English  gentleman 
who  won't  even  look  at  you  until  he  is  prop- 
erly introduced.  I  will  present  him  in  due 
form  when  next  we  meet." 

"  But  you  haven't  met  me  yourself,"  objected 
Dorothj^  lightly. 

"  No,"  Harkaway  returned.  "  But  I  knew 
your  grandfather,  grandmother,  your  cousins, 

uncles,  aunts  and — and "     He  hesitated, 

looked  at  Dorothy,  saw  a  gleam  of  forgiveness 
in  her  eyes  and  concluded,  "and  little  Dolly, 
who  was  really  a  clever  and  interesting  child 
and  has  grown  into  a  lovely  woman." 

"  That's  better,"  laughed  Dorothy.     "  I  ac- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        105 

cept  your  apologies.  Let's  get  into  the  car 
and  show  them  how  to  run  it."  She  climbed 
into  the  front  seat  of  the  reassembled  Durable 
and  smiled  down  at  him.  *'  Come  on,"  she 
said. 

Harkaway  didn't  know  much  about  it,  but 
he  concluded  that  Biddleson  had  distinguished 
himself  sufficiently,  so  he  climbed  in  just  after 
Biddleson  had  cranked  the  engine  (this  time 
with  complete  success)  and  to  his  great  delight 
the  Durable  moved  forward  and  they  went 
gaily  and  easily  up  the  hill,  pretending  all  the 
time  not  to  hear  Bid  shouting  behind  until  they 
reached  the  top. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  EIDE  IN  MES.  THOMPSON'S  CAR 

When  Biddleson  and  his  wife  came  up  they 
were  too  tired  and  out  of  breath  to  do  more 
than  chmb  into  the  tonneau  and  glare  speech- 
lessly at  the  occupants  of  the  front  seat,  who 
didn't  mind  it  much,  because  their  backs  were 
turned. 

All  went  well  until  they  finally  reached  the 
ferry  landing.  Tidewater  lay  on  both  sides  of 
Ferdinand  Arm  and  the  quickest  route  to  Bid- 
dleson's  home  was  by  way  of  the  scow-like 
ferry  that  made  voyages  as  often  as  a  pas- 
senger appeared.  The  landing  was  merely  a 
bit  of  gravel  at  the  end  of  the  road  and  here 
Harkaway  stopped  to  wait  for  the  boat,  which 
was  just  coming  across. 

When  it  finally  swung  up  to  the  tug  of  the 
cable  that  kept  it  on  its  course,  and  the  apron 
had  been  let  down,  Harkaway  started  to  run 

106 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        107 

the  car  up  on  the  deck,  but  the  ferryman 
stopped  him.  "You've  got  to  obey  regula- 
tions," he  said,  "and  stop  your  engine,  turn 
off  your  gasoline  and  disconnect  your  bat- 
teries." 

Biddleson  recovered  his  voice  long  enough  to 
inquire,  "What  for?"  So  the  ferryman  took 
him  into  the  little  cabin  and  showed  him  a  long 
list  of  rules  about  automobiles  and  made  him 
pay  a  dollar  for  fare.  After  this  they  were 
all  right  and  the  ferry  started  splashing  back 
to  Tidewater  West,  as  the  maps  called  it. 

While  they  were  going  across  Dorothy  re- 
marked that  the  tide  was  pretty  low  and  they 
would  have  to  climb  a  very  steep  bank  on  the 
other  side  to  reach  the  road.  The  ferrj^man 
seemed  to  think  this  a  reflection  on  his  boat, 
but  Dorothy  explained  that  it  wasn't  at  all; 
she  meant  that  they  had  had  a  slight  difficulty 
in  getting  up  a  hill  and  that  she  was  merely 
wondering  how  they  were  going  to  get  the  car 
off  the  boat,  "  especially  as  you  won't  allow  us 
to  start  our  engine  till  we  get  ashore." 

The  ferrjmaan  apologised  for  this  and  said 


108        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

that  the  Government  made  the  rules  about  such 
things  and  that  he  couldn't  help  it. 

"  But  you  don't  mean  that  we  must  push  this 
automobile  off  the  boat  and  into  the  wet  sand 
before  we  start  it  up?"  she  demanded. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  them's  the  rules,"  was  the 
reply.  "  But  I've  got  a  block  and  tackle  that 
I  use  for  hauling  heavy  wagons  off  the  boat 
and  up  the  hill  when  the  tide  is  low  and  the 
teams  can't  pull  'em  up,"  he  said.  "  We'll 
hitch  that  line  to  your  automobile  and  then  I'll 
back  the  boat  out.  That'll  pull  you  right  up, 
for  I'll  tie  the  other  end  of  the  line  to  the  ferry 
boat." 

This  gratified  Biddleson  greatly,  though 
Mrs.  Biddleson  seemed  doubtful  whether  it 
was  a  fitting  entrance  into  town  for  a  brand 
new  car.  When  the  ferry  pushed  her  nose  into 
the  sand  on  the  other  side.  Bid  called  that  it 
was  time  to  get  out  and  push.  He  and  Hark- 
away  put  their  shoulders  to  the  rear  of  the 
Durable  and  it  ran  off  the  ferry  and  stuck  on 
the  apron,  with  the  front  wheels  deep  in  the 
sand. 


FIVE  GAUiONS  OF  GASOLINE        109 

Then  the  ferryman  hitched  on  his  tackle  to 
the  front  axle  and  backed  his  boat  away  and 
the  Durable  came  to  a  second  standstill  with 
its  rear  wheels  in  two  feet  of  water.  For  as 
soon  as  the  ferryboat  backed  out  and  hauled 
on  the  line  that  went  up  the  hill  and  down  again 
to  the  car,  there  appeared  a  gap  between  the 
boat  and  the  shore  which  the  Durable  filled 
with  exactitude. 

"  Now  you've  done  it,"  said  Miriam,  gazing 
wildly  over  the  side  and  waving  her  hand  at 
her  husband. 

Even  the  ferryman  was  sorry.  "But  the 
tide's  coming  in,"  he  said  comfortingly. 
"And  you'll  float  off  pretty  soon." 

"  Why  don't  you  keep  on  backing? "  Biddle- 
son  demanded  wrathfully.  "  Go  on  and  pull  it 
out  on  the  dry  sand." 

"You're  sure  it  won't  hurt  anything?" 
the  ferryman  asked. 

They  all  assured  him  that  the  damage  was 
done,  so  he  started  his  wheezy  engine  and  the 
paddle  wheels  revolved  and  very  slowly  the 
Durable  emerged  from  the  water  and  came  to 


110        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

rest  at  the  foot  of  the  steep  little  bluff  that 
marked  the  top  of  high  tide.  Mrs.  Biddle- 
son  promptly  got  out  and  Biddleson  and  Hark- 
away  took  turns  at  cranking  the  engine.  But 
they  found  it  wouldn't  go,  on  account  of  some- 
thing or  other. 

After  they  had  blistered  their  hands  turning 
the  handle,  Dorothy,  who  was  seated  comfort- 
ably in  the  car,  suggested  a  horse.  She  was 
tired,  she  said,  of  staying  in  one  place  so  long. 

"  Oh,  we'll  get  it  to  going  pretty  soon,"  they 
assured  her. 

"  I'm  glad  of  that,"  she  answered,  "  for  the 
tide  is  coming  in  fast  and  it's  getting  dark." 

Harkaway  did  not  ob j  ect  to  the  darkness,  for 
he  knew  that  several  people  who  had  looked 
down  and  seen  the  Durable  planted  in  the  sand 
had  only  refrained  from  stopping  to  help  be- 
cause it  was  dinner  time.  He  felt  sure  they 
would  be  back  after  dinner  and  try  to  be  help- 
ful with  advice.  But  in  the  dark  they  might 
not  see  the  car  and  go  past.  He  wondered 
anxiously  whether  there  were  a  moon.  At  this 
moment  he  discovered  that  the  wash-boiler  was 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        111 

floating  off  by  itself  on  the  rising  tide  which 
was  again  lapsing  the  rear  wheels  of  the  Dur- 
able. Biddleson  saw  it,  too,  and  started  to 
wade  out  to  sea  to  retrieve  it.  And  in  the 
meanwhile  Harkaway  found  out  what  was  the 
matter.  He  did  this  through  an  inspiration 
which  came  from  Dorothy.  "There's  water 
in  the  carburetor,"  she  whispered,  leaning  over. 

"How  do  you  know?"  he  demanded,  wel- 
coming the  information,  but  rather  resenting 
its  source. 

"Never  mind,"  she  answered  succinctly. 
"  Get  it  out." 

And  get  it  out  he  did.  "  Now,"  commanded 
Dorothy  imperiously,  "crank  her." 

The  Durable  gave  a  short,  asthmatic  cough, 
and  then  another  a  little  clearer.  The  third 
gasp  shooed  all  the  remaining  salt  water  out 
through  the  muffler  and  the  three  cylinders 
settled  down  to  a  rhythmic  hum.  One  of 
the  main  excellent  features  of  the  Durable  was 
the  fact  that  the  gasoline  tank,  the  carburetor 
and  the  other  fixings  of  an  inflammable  char- 
acter were  placed  very  low — lower  than  the  en- 


112        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

gine,  to  be  explicit — so,  the  manufacturer  ex- 
plained, if  the  gasoline  did  happen  to  leak  it 
would  faU  on  the  ground  and  not  on  the  hot 
engine,  thus  reducing  the  danger  of  fire  to  a 
minimum.  While  this  was  very  good,  it  al- 
lowed the  air-intake  to  suck  in  water  when  the 
Durable's  rear  wheels  were  partly  submerged. 

"Don't  do  that!"  said  Harkaway  sharply 
to  Dorothy,  who  had  her  hand  on  the  churn 
handle,  perilously  near  the  safety  button. 

"Don't  do  what?" 

"  Don't  touch  that  button.  If  you  do  she'll 
start." 

"  Will  it  go  if  I  push  it? "  inquired  Dorothy 
innocently. 

"  Yes,  and  if  you  push  down  that  handle." 

"Well,  good-bye,"  she  cried  gaily.  "I'm 
going.  Don't  lose  the  crank."  She  released 
the  safety  button,  confidently  pushed  down  the 
lever  until  the  low  gear  engaged  and  opened 
the  throttle  by  twisting  the  handle.  The  Dur- 
able moved  forward  freely  and  easily,  and 
with  her  engine  purring  like  a  cat,  sHd  up  the 
steep  bluff,  swept  by  Mrs.  Biddleson  who  stood 


FIVE  GAIXONS  OF  GASOLINE        113 

screaming  with  astonishment  and  terror. 
"Jump!  jump!  Dolly!  Jump!"  she  cried. 

But  Dolly  didn't  jump.  Instead,  she  skil- 
fully turned  to  the  left  and  down  the  street. 
They  could  hear  the  honk-honk  of  the  horn 
as  she  disappeared  around  the  corner  hy  the 
bank. 

"  Once  more  I  was  an  ass,"  said  Harkaway 
ferociously.  "  That  girl  knows  more  about  an 
auto  in  a  minute  than  I  do  in  a  week."  Twirl- 
ing the  now  useless  starting  handle  savagely  he 
waded  ashore  in  water  now  ankle  deep. 

"She  will  get  killed!"  wailed  Mrs.  Biddle- 
son. 

"No,  she  won't,"  Harkaway  assured  her. 
"  She  has  probably  gone  home  to  rescue  the 
dinner." 

"Rae!"  called  Miriam,  feeling  that  she 
ought  to  be  sorry  about  someone.  Her  hus- 
band was  carelessly  splashing  through  the 
water,  having  rescued  the  drip-pan.  "Come 
out  of  the  water  at  once,  you'll  catch  your 
death-of-cold." 

Just  what  a  death-of-cold  is,  has  never  been 


114.        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

accurately  defined.  It  seems  that  when  one 
has  a  mere  tickling  in  the  nose,  or  even  a 
deep,  cavernous  cough,  or,  perhaps,  a  large  doc- 
tor's bill  to  pay,  to  say  nothing  of  the  under- 
taker's fees  and  the  florist,  he  has  caught  his 
death-of-cold.  Anyway,  Biddleson  had  had  a 
number  of  deaths-of-cold  and  siu^ived  them 
all,  so  he  was  in  no  hurry  to  obey  his  wife's  in- 
structions to  "go  straight  home  and  take  off 
those  wet  things."  He  came  stolidly  ashore 
and  the  three  of  them  started  gloomily  on  their 
long  walk  to  Alki  Point,  beyond  the  Thomp- 
sons', where  the  Biddlesons  lived. 

They  formed  a  dismal  procession  as  they 
went  single-file  down  the  business  street  of 
West  Tidewater,  Mrs.  Biddleson  in  the  lead, 
walking  with  great  dignity  and  social  poise 
in  case  she  should  meet  any  of  Tidewater's 
ehte;  Harkaway  next,  caring  nothing  for  the 
ee-lites,  as  he  chose  to  term  them,  re\'iling  him- 
self for  being  such  a  chump  in  Dorothy's  eyes ; 
and  Biddleson,  dripping  wet  and  bearing  the 
wash-boiler  drip-pan  pressed  firmly  to  his 
breast  and  at  every  step  anathematising  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        115 

Durable,  the  manufacturer  of  the  Durable,  the 
ferryman,  the  waters  of  De  Poe  Sound,  and  all 
the  De  Poes  from  Ferdinand  de  Poe,  the 
founder  of  the  line,  down  to  Dorothy  de  Poe, 
youngest  representative. 

On  ordinary  occasions  Biddleson  would  have 
cared  little  for  the  prospect  of  the  three  mile 
walk  around  the  side  of  Mary  Jane  Bay 
(named  after  one  of  the  early  De  Poes,  and  re- 
named Marie  Jean  by  one  of  the  later  De 
Poes)  to  his  home  at  the  harbour  entrance. 
Indeed,  he  would  have  enjoyed  it.  It  had  been 
a  daily  and  pleasurable  performance  since  he 
had  rented  the  house  in  the  spring,  to  cover  the 
distance  after  banking  hours,  mostly  afoot,  or, 
when  he  was  late,  on  his  bicycle,  or  occasionally 
by  riding  across  in  the  Thompson  launch  to  the 
stone  pier  that  graced  the  water  front  of  his 
employer's  baronial  mansion.  But  to-day,  of 
all  days,  the  day  he  had  looked  forward  to, 
Biddleson  even  in  thought  couldn't  keep  up 
with  the  emotions  that  surged  within  him. 

Miriam's  great  hope,  as  she  walked  on  ahead, 
was  that  she  wouldn't  meet  Mrs.  Thompson,  or. 


116        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

if  she  did,  that  that  social  usurper  would  not,  in 
the  darkness,  notice  her  untidy  retinue  behind. 

No  sooner  had  the  thought  of  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son crossed  Miriam's  mind  than  she  heard  the 
musical  tremolo  of  the  triple  horn  on  Mrs. 
Thompson's  car.  This  was  followed  imme- 
diately by  the  blinding  glare  of  the  two  acety- 
lene lights  which  shone  on  the  Biddleson  party 
and  made  them  as  conspicuous  and  picturesque 
as  a  week's  washing  in  the  front  yard  on  a 
moonlight  night.  Mrs.  Thompson  signalled 
her  chauffeur  to  stop. 

"  Why,  how  funny,  Miriam,"  she  said.  *'  I 
was  just  thinking  of  you."  Which  wasn't 
true,  Miriam  asserted  quickly  to  herself;  Mrs. 
Thompson  thought  of  nobody  but  her  own  self. 
But  she  answered  calmly,  "  I  was  thinking  of 
you,  too." 

"  How  sweet  of  you,  dear,  to  think  of  poor 
me!  I  often  envy  you  your  little  cottage  on 
the  cliff  with  the  lovely  view  and  no  servants  to 
annoy  you.  My  house  is  such  a  care  and  I 
have  so  much  trouble  with  my  servants." 

The  fact  that  Mrs.  Thompson  had  servants 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        IIT 

was  well  known  in  Tidewater  entirely  apart 
from  her  constant  reference  to  them.  There 
was  Larkins,  the  butler,  and  then  Tompkins, 
the  gardener  (his  name  was  Thompson,  but 
on  the  payroll  of  Devonshire  HaU  he  was  writ- 
ten Tompkins),  'Arriet,  the  upstairs  maid,  all 
from  England,  a  part  of  the  decorations  of 
the  baronial  mansion,  as  it  were.  From  Paris 
came  Henri,  the  chauffeur,  and  Suzanne,  Mrs. 
Thompson's  maid. 

"Would  you  believe  it  possible?"  continued 
Mrs.  Thompson.  "Last  night  Tompkins 
neglected  to  close  the  drawbridge  and  a  num- 
ber of  cows  belonging  to  that  horrid  milkman 
across  the  road  came  in  and  walked  all  over 
our  garden  and  tramped  down  the  flower  beds.'* 
Mrs.  Thompson's  garden  was  of  the  English 
variety,  a  yard  with  flowers  around  it.  "  I 
thought,"  went  on  Mrs.  T.,  "  that  when  Tomp- 
kins came  from  England  he  would  know  a 
drawbridge  and  what  it  was  for.  So  stupid  of 
him,  I'm  sure." 

Mrs.  Thompson  had  some  difficulty  in  say- 
ing "I'm  sure"  properly — as   Biggs   would 


118        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

have  said  it,  for  instance — ^because  she  talked 
with  her  teeth  shut  tightly  together,  having 
somehow  or  somewhere  got  the  notion  that  in 
this  way  she  showed  a  superior  manner.  "  So 
stupid  of  him,  I'm  su-ah,"  she  said,  trying  it 
again  with  more  success. 

"Very  stupid  of  him,  I'm  sure,"  agreed 
Miriam  simply.  "  You  will  excuse  me,  Mrs. 
Thompson.  I  must  go.  My  dinner  will  be 
late  and  it  would  be  more  than  stupid  of  me 
to  allow  it  to  be  spoiled." 

The  sarcasm  involved  in  Miriam's  remark 
entirely  escaped  Mrs.  Thompson,  for  she  went 
on  talking  about  people  being  stupid.  "  How 
stupid  of  me,"  she  said,  "not  to  know  you 
wanted  to  go  home.  I  will  take  you  myself. 
Get  right  in  and  we  shall  be  there  in  no  time." 

"  Really,  Mrs.  Thompson,  it's  very  good  of 

you,  but "  Miriam's  hesitation  was  due  to 

several  reasons.  First  of  all,  she  was  tired  and 
wanted  to  ride,  but  she  feared  they  might  find 
the  Durable  stalled  somewhere  on  the  road, 
which  would  call  for  embarrassing  explana- 
tions; and  then  there  was  Harkaway  with  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        119 

starting  crank  and  Rae  with  his  wet  clothes 
and  the  wash-boiler.  She  didn't  feel  equal  to 
the  strain. 

"And  you,  too,  Mr.  Biddleson,"  said  Mrs. 
Thompson  politely,  "  and  Mr.  Harkaway,  you 
live  in  town,  of  course " 

"  Mr.  Harkaway  dines  with  us,"  said  Miriam 
with  dignity. 

"Why,  of  course,  as  I  was  going  to  say, 
there's  room  for  us  all,"  said  Mrs  Thompson. 
She  was  not  always  thus  accommodating,  but 
she  hadn't  finished  aU  she  had  to  tell  of  her 
troubles  with  her  servants.  How,  for  ex- 
ample, McLean,  the  engineer  and  electrician 
who  ran  their  private  lighting  plant,  attended 
to  the  three  wind  mills,  the  launch  and  acted 
as  general  master  mechanic,  had  got  drunk  and 
by  a  masterly  feat  of  inebriated  ingenuity 
turned  the  salt  water  into  the  kitchen  faucets 
and  pumped  the  moat  dry  instead  of  filling 
it  up — so  stupid  of  him,  to  be  sure — and,  be- 
sides, Mrs.  Thompson  was  consumed  with  cu- 
riosity as  to  why  Biddleson  and  Harkaway 
were  wet  and  she  simply  had  to  know  about  the 


120        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

mysterious  and  apparently  useless  articles  they 
carried. 

"Why,  Mr.  Biddleson,  you  are  wringing 
wet.  You  will  catch  your  death-of-cold. 
And  Mr.  Harkaway,  too.  Why  didn't  you 
teU  me  you  had  been  out  on  the  bay  and  been 
upset?  Launching  is  so  dangerous.  You 
ought  to  take  up  motoring.  It  is  much  safer 
and  lots  of  fun." 

"It  must  be  great!"  said  Biddleson  and 
Harkaway  together. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Thompson.  "But  we 
shall  have  to  hurry,  or  you'll  both  catch  your 
death-of-cold.  Henri,  Mr.  Harkaway  will 
ride  with  you." 

"  Oui,  Madame,"  said  Henri,  which  was  all 
the  French  that  Mrs.  Thompson  understood. 

Biddleson  passed  the  wash-boiler  to  Hark- 
away, who  carefully  moored  it  to  the  running 
board  on  his  side  and  then  climbed  into  the  seat 
with  Henri,  still  holding  the  starting  handle  of 
the  Durable  in  a  conspicuous  manner. 

"W'at  ees  zat?"  asked  Henri  respectfully, 
indicating  the  drip-pan  and  struggling  between 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        121 

an  immense  curiosity  and  the  sense  of  his  men- 
ial position. 

"  That,"  replied  Harkaway  coldly,  "  is  Mr. 
Biddleson's,  and  he  is  taking  it  home." 

"  Oui,  M'sieu,  I  know,  but  w'at  for  he  take 
it  home?  To  use?  N'est-ce  pas?  But  w'at 
for?" 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  Harkaway  in  a  cryp- 
tic manner,  putting  his  explanation  into  the 
form  of  a  charade,  a  logogriph,  or  whatever 
one  calls  such  things.  "  My  first  is  a  handle; " 
he  began  whirling  the  starting  crank  before 
Henri's  eyes,  thereby  almost  hypnotising  him. 
"My  second  is  a  receptacle,"  pointing  to  the 
drip-pan,  "  and  my  whole  is  a  vehicle.  Tell  me 
what  it  is,  quick!"  he  demanded  of  the  aston- 
ished Frenchman. 

"Did  you  speak  to  me,  Mr.  Harkaway?" 
asked  Mrs.  Thompson,  pointedly,  wishing  him 
to  understand  that  she  didn't  approve  of  his 
conversing  with  her  chauffeur. 

"No,"  answered  Harkaway.  "I  was  ask- 
ing Henri  about  his  mother  in  Paris.  I  used 
to  know  her  well." 


122        FIVE  GALrONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"How  interesting!"  murmured  Mrs. 
Thompson  and  subsided. 

"M'sieu,  M'sieu!"  said  Henri  excitedly, 
but  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  know !  I  know !  But 
you  have  him  w'at  you  call  meexed  up.  Your 
first  is  your  oil-can ;  your  second  ees  your  start 
heem;  and  zen,  M'sieu,  comes  w'at  you  call 
heem? — your  cipher — your  zero — your  hole  for 
zee  starter.  Parbleul  You  lose  heem. 
N'est-ce  pas?  I  see  zee  new  carr  w'ich  you 
lose,  and  zee  yong  lady  in  it.     Ha  ha  I" 

"Right  you  are,  Henri,"  said  Harkaway. 
"  But  don't  tell  anybody  you  guessed  it.  Did 
she — was  she  doing  all  right? "  he  inquired  anx- 
iously. 

"Gr-r-rand!  Magnifique!  She  go  up  zee 
hiU  by  madame's  like — like  zees:     Pouf !" 

Henri  in  order  to  do  justice  to  his  admira- 
tion of  Dorothy's  driving,  let  go  the  steering 
wheel  with  both  hands. 

"Henri!"  screamed  Mrs.  Thompson  in  ter- 
ror as  the  car  swerved  sharply. 

"  Oui,  madame,"  said  Henri  humbly,  recov- 
ering control.  "  Pardon.  I  got  my — my  det 
of  cold.     I  sneeze!" 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        123 

"  Mercy ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thompson  in  re- 
lief as  she  sank  back  on  the  cushions,  pale  but 
still  aware  that  she  was  Mrs.  Thompson.  "  So 
— so  stupid  of  him,  I'm  sure." 

"  Henri,"  Harkaway  murmured  admiringly, 
"  I  used  to  know  your  grandfather.  Fine  old 
gentleman;  brilliant,  clever  and  witty  and  a 
good  liar.     Remember,  Henri !  a  good  liar ! " 

"Merci,  M'sieu!" 

"Aren't  you  afraid,  Mr.  Biddleson,"  Mrs. 
Thompson  said,  "  that  Mr.  Harkaway  will  let 
that  funny  thing  fall,  it  will  get  bent?  What 
an  extraordinary  looking  object!  What  is  it, 
may  I  ask,  Mr.  Biddleson?" 

"That,"  said  Biddleson  inanely,  having 
overheard  part  of  what  Harkaway  said  to  the 
chauffeur,  "  is  Mr.  Harkaway's,  and  he's  tak- 
ing it  home." 

"  I  can  see  that  he  is  taking  it  home,"  re- 
turned Mrs.  Thompson  icily,  her  position  as 
the  wife  of  Biddleson's  employer  asserting 
itself  for  the  moment.  "But  I  didn't  hear 
you  say  what  it  was." 

"Mrs.  Thompson,"  said  Miriam  calmly, 
coming  to  the  rescue,  "that  is  a  part  of  our 


lU        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

automobile.  It  went  into  the  water  just  after 
we  crossed  on  the  ferry,  and  Rae  got  wet  re- 
covering it." 

"Automobile!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thompson. 
"  I  didn't  know  you  had  one.  Where — where 
is  it?    What  have  you  done  with  it?" 

"It  has  gone  on  ahead,"  answered  Miriam 
in  an  even  manner,  just  as  though  the  simple 
fact  that  they  had  lost  part  of  their  automobile 
in  the  bay,  and  that  the  rest  of  it  had  gone 
off  all  by  itself  was  a  matter  of  everyday  occur- 
rence and  was  of  no  interest  to  anyone  but 
themselves. 

"Indeed!"  said  Mrs.  Thompson,  subdued. 
"How  interesting!  I  am  glad  you  have  one, 
I'm  sure!" 

"M'sieu!  Msieu!  w'at  ees  eet?     Look!" 

They  all  looked.  They  were  just  rounding 
a  curve  and  a  short  distance  ahead  they  saw, 
with  varying  emotions,  the  faithful  Biggs  driv- 
ing an  express  wagon.  In  the  body  of  the 
wagon  behind  him  were  the  four  extra  wheels, 
the  detached  rumble  seat  and  the  red,  brass- 
bound  trunk. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        1^5 

"S-h-h!"  said  Harkaway  to  Henri. 
"  Don't  say  a  word.  Those  wheels  belong  to 
Mr.  Biddleson.  He  lost  'em  out  of  his  head 
and  Biggs  is  taking  them  home." 

Just  at  this  moment  Biggs  pulled  up  and 
stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  road  to  light  his 
pipe.  Henri,  not  being  able  to  get  by,  was 
obhged  to  come  to  an  abrupt  stop. 

"  Hi!  Biggs! "  shouted  Biddleson  in  a  rage 
because  he  knew  that  even  Miriam  couldn't 
satisfactorily  explain  such  an  astonishing  sight. 
"  Get  out  of  the  way,  you  fool.  We — ^we're 
in  a  hurry!" 

Harkaway  was  enjoying  the  situation.  He 
appreciated  particularly  the  immense  calm  and 
repose  of  Biggs,  who  went  on  lighting  his 
pipe  to  the  extent  of  six  matches  before  he 
got  one  to  take  hold.  Then  clucking  gently 
to  the  horse,  he  drove  to  a  wider  place  where 
he  pulled  aside  and  waited,  cap  in  hand,  for 
the  more  stylish  and  imposing  vehicle  to  pass. 
It  must  not  be  thought  that  Biggs  was  at  all 
embarrassed  by  his  somewhat  undignified  and 
unaristocratic  appearance  as  driver  of  an  ex- 


126        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

press  wagon.  Neither  must  it  be  imagined 
that  he  apologised  later,  or  explained  an}i;hing 
about  it.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  when  Biggs 
arrived  in  the  launch  at  the  city  dock  with  the 
wheels,  the  rumble  seat  and  the  auto  trunk,  the 
driver  of  the  only  express  wagon  in  sight  was 
about  to  go  home  to  dinner  and  go  home  he 
did,  but  not  until  he  had  chartered  his  whole 
outfit  to  Biggs,  who  said  he  would  drive  it 
himself. 

Whatever  Biggs  did,  as  long  as  it  did  not 
violate  the  laws  of  the  land  or  involve  some 
question  of  moral  turpitude,  he  did  openly 
and  calmly,  without  apologies,  excuses  or  at- 
tempted justification.  To  sum  up,  what  Biggs 
did  was  all  right  simply  because  Biggs  did  it, 
and  he  never  thought  it  necessary  to  discuss  it. 
This  particularly  British  trait  in  Biggs  was 
one  that  aroused  Harkaway's  deepest  admira- 
tion and  envy.  He  didn't  look  upon  it  as  a 
trait,  however.  He  considered  it  an  achieve- 
ment, an  attitude  of  mind — a  lofty  one,  to  be 
sure — that  could  only  come  with  long  prac- 
tice. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        127 

And,  besides  all  this,  the  extra  wheels,  the 
rumble  seat  and  the  red,  brassbound  auto 
trunk  were  no  concern  of  Harkaway's.  It 
may  be  remembered  that  the  purchase  of  these 
rather  unusual  extra  parts  was  the  result  of 
a  brilliant  idea  on  the  part  of  Biddleson.  He 
had  craftily  conceived  that  by  a  judicious  and 
daily  interchange  of  wheels,  and  by  substitu- 
ting the  rumble  seat  or  the  auto  trunk  for  the 
tonneau,  the  people  of  Tidewater  in  general, 
and  Mrs.  Thompson  in  particular,  would  come 
to  believe  that  the  Biddlesons  had  two,  or  per- 
haps three  cars  instead  of  one.  The  possibility 
of  putting  it  over  Mrs.  Thompson  had  won 
Miriam  over  to  her  husband's  scheme,  though 
Harkaway  had  pooh-poohed  it  from  the  first. 
He  said  that  for  his  part,  he  wouldn't  give  a 
red  cent  to  make  Mrs.  Thompson  think  he 
had  a  thousand  machines.  "Not  for  mine," 
he  had  declared  finally  to  Biddleson.  "If 
you  want  to  spend  your  money  for  these  fool 
things,  you  can.  I'm  going  to  save  mine  for 
gasoline." 

For  this  reason,  Harkaway  could  not  re- 


128        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

strain  an  emotion  of  pleasure,  a  sort  of  "  I-told- 
you-so"  feeling  at  the  way  the  scheme  had 
turned  out.  As  he  swung  round  to  grin  a 
meaning  and  comprehensive  grin  of  triumph  at 
Bid,  he  caught  sight  of  Miriam  first.  She  was 
cowering  under  the  expected  blow  from  Mrs. 
Thompson  who,  she  knew,  would  neglect  no 
opportunity  of  humiliating  her.  Miriam 
didn't  realise  that  her  enemy  couldn't  know 
what  all  these  contraptions  in  the  wagon  were. 
Her  face  was  drawn  with  misery  and  expressed 
the  foreboding  sense  of  the  crowning  humilia- 
tion of  her  whole  life. 

Harkaway  did  not  grin.  He  turned  around 
again  and  stared  sternly  ahead.  "  Biddleson 
was  a  chump,"  he  thought,  "  and  it  serves  him 
right,  but  with  Miriam  it's  different."  He 
wouldn't  stand  any  nonsense  from  JNIrs. 
Thompson.  What  difference  did  Mrs. 
Thompson's  opinion  make  to  him?  He  didn't 
care  a  picayune  for  the  whole  Thompson  tribe 
from  Thompson  (Tompkins)  the  gardener 
who  let  the  cows  in  over  the  drawbridge  down 
to  the  Mrs.  Thompson  whose  five  thousand 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        129 

dollar  French  car  he  was  riding  in  at  that  mo- 
ment. But  Miriam  had  always  been  a  friend 
of  his,  and  that  was  all  there  was  to  it.  If 
Mrs.  Thompson  opened  her  head  to  say  a 
word,  he'd 

"How  deliciously  funny!"  laughed  Mrs. 
Thompson  maliciously.  "  What  a  charn::ng 
and  original  way  of  getting  one's  car  home !  I 
suppose,  Miriam  dear,  that  besides  what  Mr. 
Biggs  has  in  the  wagon  and  what  you  didn't 
drop  in  the  bay,  the  rest  of  it  is  up  in  a  balloon 
somewhere.  Do  tell  me — you  will,  won't  you, 
dear — when  you  get  it  all  together?  I 
would  so  like  to  see  it  all  at  once  I " 

Harkaway  turned  around  in  his  seat  and 
glared  coldly,  vindictively  at  the  wife  of  Tide- 
water's mightiest  plutocrat.  Then  he  lied — • 
deliberately,  and  circumstantially.  "  You  will 
pardon  me,  Mrs.  Thompson,"  he  said  icily, 
"  but  those  things  that  seem  to  amuse  you  so 
much  are  mine.  They  came  on  ahead  with 
Biddleson's  auto.  The  chassis  of  my  racing 
car  wasn't  quite  completed.  It  will  arrive 
later.     You  may  have  an  opportunity  of  ob- 


130        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

serving  it  all  together  when  I  drive  it  by  Dev- 
onshire Hall." 

Nothing  more  was  said.  In  fact  there  was 
nothing  more  to  say  nor  time  to  say  it.  The 
car  pulled  up  at  the  Biddleson  house;  outside 
stood  the  Durable,  seemingly  intact,  shiny  and 
new.  Henri  jumped  out  and  with  a  profound 
bow  opened  the  tonneau  door  for  Mrs.  Biddle- 
son to  descend.  "  Thank  you,"  she  said  to 
Henri,  and,  to  Mrs.  Thompson,  "  So  good  of 
you — a  charming  drive." 

"Not  at  all,"  replied  Mrs.  Thompson 
vaguely.     "  The  pleasure  is  mine,  I'm  sure." 

Mrs.  Thompson  drove  away  toward  her  me- 
diaeval mansion  with  her  teeth  tightly  clenched, 
this  time  naturally  and  unaiFectedly — fero- 
ciously, even,  wondering  whether  that  upstart 
Harkaway  had  an  overdue  note  at  the  bank,  or 
if  the  rather  extensive  Harkaway  Addition 
were  heavily  mortgaged,  so  that  he  could  be 
properly  disciplined  by  her  husband  and  made 
to  know  his  place. 

Miriam  and  her  husband  and  Harkaway  left 
the  Durable  silent  and  innocuous  outside  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        131 

gate  and  went  into  the  house  to  find  Dorothy 
bright  and  cheerful  with  the  dinner  piping  hot 
and  coffee  steaming  in  an  alluring  manner  on 
the  back  of  the  stove. 

"Now,"  she  announced  briskly,  "if  Mr. 
Harkaway  will  put  down  that  crank,  and  wash 
his  hands,  we  will  eat." 

Of  course  they  discussed  the  whole  matter 
over  the  dinner-table  and  Dorothy  heard  a 
great  deal  about  Mrs.  Thompson  and  Mrs. 
Thompson's  baronial  mansion  with  its  battle- 
mented  walls  of  red  cedar  shingles  and  the 
gas-pipe  screen  for  the  ivy  to  climb  up.  Also, 
she  heard  a  great  deal  about  Biggs,  who  in  the 
meantime  had  come  up  quietly  and  unloaded 
the  wheels  and  the  other  things  and  departed 
to  whence  he  came  because  he  had  agreed  to 
get  back  at  eight  with  the  wagon,  don't  you 
know. 

"It  must  have  been  perfectly  lovely!"  ex- 
claimed Dorothy,  "  to  have  seen  Mr.  Biggs  sit- 
ting up  on  that  wagon  like  a  duke,  looking 
down  upon  and  ignoring  the  supercilious  and 
hateful  Mrs.  Thompson.     Tell  you  what,  Mir- 


132        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

iam,  we'll  invite  him  to  the  picnic.  That's 
what  we'll  do." 

"What  picnic?"  asked  Biddleson  dully. 

"Why,  didn't  we  tell  you,  Rae?  Miriam  and 
I  planned  it  all  while  we  were  walking  to  Sa- 
hara to  meet  you.  We're  going  to  leave  here 
at  eight  to-morrow  morning  and  go  just  where 
and  just  as  far  as  we  please,  and  if  we  run  out 
of  gasoline,  or  lose  something,  there  will  be 
Mr.  Biggs.  He  always  has  just  what  one 
wants." 

"  Mr.  Biggs  isn't  going  on  this  picnic,  Dor- 
othy," said  Miriam  decisively. 

"  Why  not? "  exclaimed  her  sister.  "  Don't 
you  like  him?" 

"Ye-e-s,"  admitted  Miriam  reluctantly. 
"  But  he  is  altogether  too  public  in  everything 
he  does  to  suit  me.  He  would  want  to  stop  and 
have  tea  on  the  courthouse  steps,  just  as  like 
as  not." 

"  Why  shouldn't  we,  if  we  wanted  to? "  Dor- 
othy asked.  "  It  wouldn't  be  sinful,  would 
it?" 

"  No,  dear,  but  people  don't  do  such  things, 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE         133 

as — as  driving  an  express  wagon,  for  in- 
stance." An  expression  of  shame  and  resent- 
ment came  over  Miriam's  face  when  she  said 
this,  although  she  knew  that  Biggs  had  done 
it  as  a  favour  to  her  and  her  husband. 

"What  people  don't  do  such  things?"  Dor- 
othy demanded. 

"  Why,  the  best  people,  of  course." 

"I  suppose,  then,"  said  Dorothy  thought- 
fully, "you  mean  that  the  best  people  are 
those  who  are  different  from  Mr.  Biggs?" 

"No,"  said  Miriam  impatiently,  "the  best 
people  are — are — the  best  people.  Don't  you 
see,  stupid?" 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  replied  Dorothy,  purposely 
misunderstanding.  "  The  best  people,  as  you 
call  them,  are  certainly  stupid.  That  is  what 
Schopenhauer  says,  anjrway." 

"  I  don't  care  what  Schopenhauer  says,  who- 
ever he  is,"  returned  Miriam  with  spirit. 
"  Harvey  Biggs  is  not  going  on  this  pic- 
mc. 

"Well,"  said  Dorothy,  "I  must  say  I  like 
the  looks  of  Mr.  Biggs.     He  isn't  afraid  to 


134        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

do  what  he  pleases,  and,  what's  more,  he  doesn't 
look  at  all  stupid  to  me." 

An  hour  after  dinner  they  were  all  outside 
inspecting  the  Durable  when  Biggs  came  back, 
this  time  on  a  wheel.  He  was  presented  in  due 
form  to  Dorothy  by  Harkaway.  Dorothy  was 
cordiality  itself,  but  Miriam  was  cold  and 
frosty.  In  two  or  three  days,  Harkaway  knew 
she  would  be  ashamed  of  herself  and  treat 
Biggs  like  a  long-lost  brother ;  but  to-night  she 
was  determined  to  let  him  know  that  she  was 
bitterly  offended.  AU  this  was  lost  on  Biggs. 
Neither  did  it  occur  to  him  to  be  insulted  be- 
cause Miriam  talked  openly  about  the 
picnic,  where  they  were  going,  what  they 
were  going  to  eat,  when  they  were  going  to 
start,  and  yet  didn't  include  him  as  one  of  the 
party.  In  the  first  place  he  wasn't  conscious  of 
having  done  anything  wrong,  and,  if  he 
thought  about  it  at  all,  he  knew  that  an  auto- 
mobile for  four  wouldn't  hold  five,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  lunch-basket  and  the  fireless 
cooker  which  they  intended  to  take  along  to 
keep  the  ice-cream  cool  in. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        186 

It  was  almost  midnight  when  Dorothy  re- 
tired to  her  room  and  was  ready  to  go  to 
sleep.  Then  Miriam  entered,  sat  on  the  edge 
of  the  bed  and  took  possession  of  one  of  her 
sister's  hands. 

"  Dolly,  dear,"  she  began  in  a  maternal  man- 
ner, "  of  course,  you  know  I  am  much  older 
than  you  are." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  so  much  older,"  said  Dorothy 
drowsity.  "You've  only  been  married 
longer!"  Which  was  quite  true,  as  Dorothy 
hadn't  been  married  at  all. 

"  That's  just  what  I  wanted  to  talk  about," 
said  Miriam,  glad  of  the  opening.  "  You  are 
through  with  your  school,  now,  and  it's  high 
time  you  were  married." 

"Whom  to?"  asked  Dorothy,  grammatic- 
ally but  sleepily.     "  Mr.  Biggs? " 

"No,  you  silly  child,  not  Mr.  Biggs,  at  all! 
I  do  wish  you  would  stop  talking  about  him. 
He  is  nice  enough  in  his  way,  but  he  isn't  at 
aU  suitable  for  a  husband.  To  begin  with  he 
has  no  social  position  which  a  girl  of  your  at- 
tainments would  like  to  fill.     You  have  only 


136        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

just  met  him,  and  you  know  nothing  about 
him." 

"  It's  lucky,"  said  Dorothy,  yawning,  "  that 
he  met  us  this  afternoon  with  the  gasohne,  or 
we  shouldn't  have  been  in  our  present  position. 
We'd  have  been  stranded  high  and  dry  on  that 
Sahara  road." 

She  turned  over,  and  in  another  moment 
would  have  been  fast  asleep.  Miriam  grasped 
her  shoulder  and  shook  it  violently. 

"Dorothy,  listen!  I  want  you  to  under- 
stand, dear !  "  she  began.  "  Open  your  eyes. 
You  hear  me?"  Dorothy  opened  one  eye — 
the  one  nearest  Mrs.  Biddleson,  who  went  on: 
"  Now  there  is  Mr.  Harkaway,  a  rising  yoimg 
man " 

"I  am  so  glad  of  it,"  said  Dorothy,  open- 
ing the  other  eye  with  a  great  effort.  "  Ris- 
ing young  man,  you  say?  Glad  of  it — ^he 
won't  be  late  for  the  picnic.  I  wish  I  were  a 
rising  young  woman,  but  I'm  so — sleepy." 
Her  voice  trailed  off.  Her  eyes  closed,  and 
she  would  have  been  gone  in  a  second,  but  that 
her  sister  relentlessly  shook  her  again. 


FIVE  GAI.LONS  OF  GASOLINE        137 

"Dorothy!"  she  said  sharply.  "You  do 
make  me  so  cross!  You  are  NOT  going  to 
sleep.  You  are  going  to  listen  to  me.  When 
I  am  done  you  can  sleep,  but  I  advise  you  to 
lie  awake  and  think  over  what  I  am  going  to 
tell  you.  Rae  and  I  have  spent  a  lot  of  money 
on  your  education,  and  we  are  going  to  see  that 
j^ou  make  something  of  yourself.  As  I  was 
saying,  JMr.  Harkaway  is  a  rising  young 
man.  He  owns  all  of  Harkaway' s  Addition, 
and  I  could  see  this  afternoon  that  he  was  very 
much  interested  in  you.  You  mustn't  neglect 
your  opportunities,  my  dear!"  Miriam  was 
gradually  relenting.  "  I  have  invited  him  to 
breakfast  (this  meaningly)  and  you  must  be 
nice  to  him  and  stop  thinking  about  that  absurd 
Mr.  Biggs.  He  has  nothing  but  his  position 
with  the  steamship  company.  English  peo- 
ple are  all  right,  but  you  must  remember  that 
you  are  an  American  and  must  live  in  Amer- 
ica." 

"  Yes,  dear,"  agreed  Dorothy,  making  a  last 
futile  effort  at  comprehension.  "  Stop  think- 
ing    about     that     absurd   ]Mr.   Harkaway — 


138        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

all  right  but  an   Englishman — owns  .  all  of 

Biggs's  Addition — Biggs — Biggs "     She 

was  gone. 

Miriam  looked  at  her  a  moment  with  great 
tenderness,  carefully  smoothed  down  her  pil- 
low and  tucked  her  in  as  she  had  done  w^hen 
Dorothy  was  a  child,  kissed  her  softly  and  si- 
lently left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  RIDE  IN  MRS.  THOMPSON'S  CAR 

When  Dorothy  got  up  and  went  to  her  win- 
dow the  next  morning  the  ocean  lay  before 
her  eyes  like  a  great  lake  of  shining  light. 
She  could  see  plainly  the  channel  by  which  the 
bay's  waters  passed  seaward.  Across  this  the 
hills  wore  a  peaceful  and  remote  aspect,  arous- 
ing a  sense  of  pleasure  in  travelling  to  them. 
This  pleasure  was  damped  by  a  feeling  that 
she  ought  to  go  to  church.  To  quiet  her  con- 
science she  went  and  called  down  to  Miriam 
to  know  whether  there  was  an  early  service. 

"  I  might  go  and  be  back  in  time  to  join  the 
rest,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  Of  course  I  would 
miss  my  breakfast,  but  that  would  be  an  added 
virtue." 

Mrs.  Biddleson  called  back  that  there  was 
no  church  at  all  that  Sunday,  so  Dorothy  in- 

139 


140        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

stantly  dismissed  breakfast  piety  from  her 
mind  and  commenced  dressing  herself  with 
great  care  and  judgment,  proceeding  in  this 
important  ceremony  with  two  definite  objects 
in  mind.  First,  she  wished  to  punish  Miriam 
for  being  rude  to  Mr.  Biggs;  then  she  deter- 
mined to  let  her  sister  know  that  she  did  not  in- 
tend to  marry  Mr.  Biggs — or  was  it  Mr.  Hark- 
away?  she  was  too  sleepy  to  remember  which 
it  was  that  had  been  banned  the  night  before 
— ^unless  she  wanted  to.  Having  succeeded, 
as  she  knew,  in  this,  she  proceeded  to  mingle 
with  this  sartorial  rebuke  a  bit  of  encourage- 
ment for  Harkaway — or  Biggs.  Mostly  for 
Harkaway,  for  he  had  been  very  decent  and 
cordial  to  Biggs,  and  as  Mr.  Biggs  had  been 
oblivious  to  the  snub  administered  by  Miriam, 
this  relieved  Harkaway  from  any  share  in  Mir- 
iam's fault.  Consequently  she  added  to  a 
very  plain,  serviceable  gown  a  small  hat  which 
she  had  tested  and  found  not  wanting  in  effect 
on  men  of  taste.  The  gown  was  for  her  sis- 
ter; the  hat  for  Harkaway.  For  Miriam's 
benefit  she  added  heavy  boots  with  atrocious 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        141 

leather  lacings.  For  Harkaway  she  took  off 
all  her  rings,  aware  that  nothing  so  arouses  a 
young  man's  interest  as  fingers  unadorned. 

That  she  had  judged  well  she  perceived  the 
minute  she  walked  into  the  airy  dining  room. 
Miriam  took  one  look  at  the  plain  gown,  the 
boots,  the  flapping  laces  and  assumed  a  Sabbath 
resignation.  Harkaway  fell  captive  to  all  the 
rest  of  it  and  displayed  his  admiration  by  try- 
ing to  force  red-hot  eggs  upon  her  without  the 
aid  of  dish  or  spoon.  Having  achieved  the 
feat  of  making  her  drop  one  in  her  coffee  and 
two  on  the  table-cloth  he  desisted  from  his 
efforts  to  please,  and  maintained  a  solemn  and 
profound  expression  of  melancholy. 

Over  a  fresh  cup  of  coffee  Dorothy  smiled 
and  said  to  him  amiably,  "  I  never  could  learn 
your  English  way  of  eating  eggs,  Mr.  Hark- 
away. You  eat  them  out  of  your  hand,  don't 
you?  Do  you  wear  gloves  when  you  do  it? 
Or  do  poKte  Enghshmen  hold  the  egg  while  a 
lady  chips  it?  You  know  I'm  awfully  inter- 
ested in  English " 

"  Why,  Dorothy,  Mr.  Harkaway  isn't  Eng- 


142        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

lish  at  all!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Biddleson  indig- 
nantly. 

"  Biggs  is  the  Britisher,"  put  in  her  husband. 

"Well,"  Dorothy  retorted,  "then  Fm  inter- 
ested in  Mr.  Biggs." 

"I  protest  you  are  crazy!"  Miriam  remon- 
strated. "What  could  anyone  see  in  Mr. 
Biggs!" 

Dorothy  laid  down  her  egg  spoon  and  gazed 
reproachfully  at  her  sister.  "I  seem  to  be 
making  a  mess  of  things  on  every  hand,  my 
dear !  Will  you  please  tell  me  whom  I  am  in- 
terested in?  I  thought  it  was  Mr.  Biggs. 
You  say  it  isn't  Mr.  Biggs  at  all.  Mr.  Hark- 
away,  I'm  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.  You 
told  me  yesterday  that  you  thought  it  horrid 
to  have  me  picked  put  as  a  bride  for  you.  Will 
you  help  me  and  tell  me  what  man  in  this  be- 
nighted parish  I  am  free  to  be  interested  in? 
What  young  gentleman  is  entitled  to  my  maid- 
enly consideration  and  admiration?" 

During  this  contribution  to  the  breakfast 
conversation  Mrs.  Biddleson  sat  in  horrified  si- 
lence, throwing  an  occasional  glance  at  her 
husband  who  took  refuge  in  his  victuals,  emerg- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        143 

ing  from  this  asylum  at  the  end  of  Dor- 
othy's outburst  to  say  weakly,  "  Come,  now, 
DoUie,  don't  talk  nonsense.     Your  sister " 

Dorothy  refused  to  be  drawn  off.  She 
fixed  Harkaway  with  a  charming  smile  and 
said  reproachfully,  *'  Do  you  refuse  to  be  my 
counsellor,  guide  and  friend?" 

Harkaway,  making  a  magnificent  effort,  re- 
sponded in  a  loud  voice,  hoping  to  convey  the 
impression  that  he  was  perfectly  at  ease,  "  My 
dear  Miss  Dorothy,  I  can't  be  your  counsellor, 
but  as  to  a  guide,  I'll  try;  as  a  friend,  com- 
mand me," 

"Friend?"  objected  Dorothy  apprehen- 
sively. "But,  would  you  be  safe  in  that  role? 
You  know  that  even  mild  Platonic  emotions 
are  often  thought  to  be  but  the  precursor  of 
something  else.  Now,  if  Miriam  should  be 
silly  enough  to  imagine  that  —  that  — ,  or 
should  try  to  help  things  along,  you'd " 

"Dorothy!"  said  Miriam  sharply. 

"Yes?" 

"  Mr.  Harkaway  is  one  of  our  oldest  friends. 
Control  yourself,  my  dear." 

Dorothy  turned  a  serene  look  on  the  petri- 


144»        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

fied  Harkaway  and  said  quietly,"  Don't  worry, 
Mr.  Harkaway.  I  can  see  you  are  the  man 
at  whose  head  I'm  to  be  thrown — tossed  like  a 
peanut  to  an  elephant " 

Here  Mrs.  Biddleson  rose  in  her  wrath. 
*'  Certainly  you  are  beyond  all  reasoning  with, 
Dollie!"  she  said  haughtily.  "The  idea  of 
calling  Mr.  Harkaway  an  elephant ! " 

"  So  long  as  I  call  myself  a  peanut  I  don't 
see  where  he's  injured,"  was  the  calm  response. 
"  And  your  rebuke  simply  confirms  my  suspi- 
cion. Mr.  Harkaway  is  the  elephant.  And 
he  told  me  so  yesterday,  before  he  knew  who 
I  was.  Cheer  up,  Mr.  Harkaway,  I  refuse  to 
be  thrown  at  your  head.  You  needn't  dodge. 
You're  absolutely  safe.  NTow  if  you'll  release 
that  plate  of  toast  I'll  finish  my  breakfast." 

Miriam  stalked  majestically  away,  taking 
with  her,  apparently,  all  that  was  left  of  her 
husband's  human  attributes,  for  when  she  had 
finally  closed  the  door  he  continued  to  gaze 
from  Doroth}'^  to  Harkaway  and  from  Hark- 
away to  Dorothy  in  an  abstruse  and  stony  man- 
ner as  though  he  had  been  wound  up  to  swing 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        145 

his  head  from  side  to  side  and  somebody  had 
forgotten  to  stop  him.  Finally  he  did  run 
down,  or  Harkaway  kicked  him  under  the 
table,  for  he  went  out  and  left  them  together. 
Harkaway  ate  intermittently,  now  and  again 
glancing  at  Dorothy  when  he  thought  she 
wasn't  looking  till  she  caught  his  eyes  and  said 
sweetly,  "Getting  over  your  scare?" 

"  I'm  getting  more  afraid  every  minute,"  he 
said  honestly.  To  his  great  satisfaction  she 
blushed. 

Mrs.  Biddleson  now  came  in,  dressed  in  an 
auto  coat,  with  a  huge  veil  and  dark  glasses. 
"  Rae  is  out  there  getting  the  machine  ready," 
she  announced.  *'  I  think  we'd  better  be  start- 
ing. Dorothy,  you  surely  aren't  going  to  wear 
those  awful  boots?"  she  went  on  when  Hark- 
away vanished. 

Her  younger  sister  gazed  at  the  offending 
boots  and  nodded.  "We  may  have  to  walk, 
Miriam,  and  I'm  going  prepared  for  any- 
thing." 

*'  Walk  I  Why,  Rae  is  taking  plenty  of  gas- 
oline along!    What  makes  you  say  such  ridic- 


146        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

ulous  things? "  They  passed  out  and  into  the 
yard  where  the  Durable  stood  clucking  away 
while  Biddleson  pulled  on  his  gloves.  "  I'll 
drive  her  going  out,"  he  was  saying  with  an 
air  of  importance.  "  Then  you  can  try  her 
back,  Hark." 

"That  means  that  I  sit  beside  the  chauf- 
feur," Dorothy  remarked  pleasantly.  "  So 
that  saves  Mr.  Harkaway  for  the  present." 

Miriam's  efforts  to  alter  this  arrangement 
availed  nothing  and  Harkaway  dutifully 
helped  her  into  the  tonneau  and  got  in  himself. 
Biddleson  grasping  the  churn  handle,  looked 
anxiously  round  and  started  the  Durable  off. 

When  they  reached  the  ferry  Dorothy 
wished  to  know  where  they  were  going.  "  You 
ought  to  tell  the  ferryman,"  she  said.  "  Then 
if  we  don't  come  back  before  dark  people  will 
know  where  to  look  for  us."  This  suggestion 
was  hailed  with  scorn  and  while  they  crossed 
and  went  on  their  way  towards  Sahara  and  the 
upper  bay  Biddleson  explained  at  length  that 
this  was  an  endurance  run.  "  We'll  run  there 
and  back  on  two  gallons  of  gasoline,"  he  pro- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        147 

claimed.  "  The  catalogue  says  the  Durable 
can  make  twenty-five  miles  on  one  gallon. 
It's  twenty  miles  to  Hark's  place  and  that 
will  use  up  less  than  a  gallon.  We'll  possibly 
use  a  quart  while  the  engine  is  running  free, 
and  we  shall  have  more  than  a  gallon  left  to 
run  home  on." 

"  Is  that  all  the  gasoline  you've  got  along? " 
Dorothy  demanded. 

"Yes,"  said  Biddleson.  "Did  you  ever 
hear  of  an  endurance  run  where  they  took  along 
more  than  they  needed?" 

Dorothy  didn't  reply,  but  contented  herself 
with  admiring  the  scenery  till  Mrs.  Biddleson 
leaned  over  and  said,  "  We're  getting  near  to 
Mr.  Harkaway's  property,  Dollie.  He  owns 
all  that  region  out  there  between  the  bay  and 
the  sea.  It's  only  four  or  five  miles  from  Tide- 
water by  launch,  you  know,  but  by  this  road 
around  the  bay  it's  pretty  nearly  twenty.  It's 
the  prettiest  spot  near  here." 

"Yes,  I'm  quite  proud  of  it,"  Harkaway 
remarked,  leaning  forward  too. 

"  I  should  think  you  would  be,"  was  Doro- 


148        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

thy's  reply.  "Anything  to  get  out  of  that 
horrid  town.  I  suppose  you  stay  over  on  your 
place  all  the  time,  don't  you?  " 

"Hark  hves  in  town,"  Biddleson  put  in, 
slowing  down  for  the  next  turn  and  succeed- 
ing in  coming  to  a  full  stop. 

Dorothy  seemed  shocked.  "  I  don't  see  how 
you  can  do  it ! "  she  said  energetically.  "  I 
would  always  stay  out  here!  alwaj^s!" 

"  Well,  Hark  is  going  to  build  on  the  place, 
some  day,  aren't  you,  Hark?"  Biddleson  pur- 
sued, while  his  wife  relaxed  in  her  seat  and 
stared  at  an  invisible  landscape  just  behind 
her  husband's  ear. 

Dorothy  now  turned  clear  round  and  gazed 
at  Harkaway  in  an  interested  manner.  He  re- 
turned her  stare  a  moment  and  then  smiled, 
lost  the  smile  in  an  expression  of  great  solici- 
tude about  the  next  hill,  which  he  gazed  at 
very  severely,  and  ended  by  remarking  husk- 
ily, "  I've  sold  it." 

"Then  it  isn't  yours  any  more?"  Dorothy 
inquired.  "Miriam,  w^hat  did  you  say  it  was 
JSIr.  Harkaway 's  for?     I  thought  we  were  go- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        149 

ing  out  to  look  at  his  property.  And  he  says 
he's  sold  it." 

"  What  difference  does  that  make? "  Biddle- 
son  interjected. 

Dorothy  frowned  at  him.  "It  makes  an 
awful  difference,  Rae.  You  don't  seem  to  un- 
derstand that  you  and  Miriam  are  showing  me 
the — the  elephant.  And  if  the — the  elephant 
hasn't  any  property,  what's  the  use  of  going 
all  this  distance?" 

"  I'm  afraid  we've  punctured  that  right  rear 
tire.  Bid,"  Harkaway  said  hastily.  "  Stop  her 
and  I'll  get  down  and  look." 

The  Durable  came  to  a  standstill  with  great 
suddenness.  Harkaway  dismounted  and  van- 
ished under  the  machine  where  he  made  a  loud 
noise  by  knocking  a  small  pocket  wrench 
against  the  transmission  case.  When  he 
emerged,  much  flushed,  Dorothy  was  leaning 
over  and  looking  at  him.  "Do  you  carry 
spare  punctures,  Mr.  Harkaway?"  she  de- 
manded, raising  her  veil  to  dazzle  him  with 
her  smile. 

"  I  knew  there  wasn't  a  puncture,"  Biddle- 


150        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

son  put  in  triumphantly.  "  Crank  the  engine, 
Hark.     She's  stopped." 

The  crank  had  disappeared  and  after  a  long 
search  it  was  discovered  to  be  hanging  on  the 
pet-cock  of  the  radiator.  "We  might  have 
lost  it,"  said  Mrs.  Biddleson  severely.  "I 
can't  see  why  you  are  so  careless,  Rae." 

"  Poor  Rae ! "  sighed  Dorothy.  "  I  saw  Mr. 
Harkaway.hang  it  there  himself." 

"Why  didn't  you  say  so,  then?"  demanded 
her  sister. 

"I  forgot,"  was  the  penitent  answer. 
"And  I  thought  Mr.  Harkaway  would  re- 
member." 

As  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  to  say  the 
Durable  drove  on  and  finally  made  the  ford 
across  the  upper  shoals  of  the  bay.  Once  over 
this  Biddleson  said  he  would  show  them  how 
the  "jigger"  worked.  He  would  "get  a 
good,  rich  mixture  and  then  open  her  out." 
He  opened  her  out  with  such  effect  that  two 
minutes  later  Mrs.  Biddleson  was  screaming 
and  poking  vigorously  at  a  cow  which  was 
trying  to  maintain  a  precarious  foothold  half 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        151 

way  up  the  steep  bank  by  the  roadside,  and 
gave  every  indication  of  preparing  for  a  fran- 
tic leap  right  down  into  the  car. 

"  There  1 "  shouted  Harkaway.  "  What  did 
I  tell  you,  Bid?  I  knew  you'd  run  into  a  well, 
get  a  cow,  hit  a  hayrake,  or  something,  fooling 
with  that  '  jigger.'     There's  your  cow!  " 

"I  see  her,"  said  Biddleson  bitterly,  as  the 
animal  glowered  at  them.  In  his  excitement 
he  stopped  the  engine,  and  intimated  pointedly, 
that  it  was  Harkaway's  duty  to  get  out  and 
crank  her  up  again. 

" But  there  isn't  room  for  him  to  get  out!" 
cried  Mrs.  Biddleson,  making  a  feint  for  the 
cow's  left  eye  which  the  animal  parried  with 
her  right  horn.  "  And  if  he  does  the  cow  will 
hook  him!" 

"It's  Biddleson's  cow,  of  course!"  said 
Harkaway.  "  He  found  her  and  he  ought  to 
keep  her  from  jumping  into  people's  laps." 

IN'ot  wishing  to  show  the  white  feather  in 
Dorothy's  presence,  especially  after  her  treat- 
ment of  him,  he  deliberately  got  out,  waved  the 
crank  at  the  beast  and  then  started  the  engine. 


153        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

At  the  first  cough  the  cow  tossed  her  head 
and  shd  down  behind  the  car.  As  Harkaway 
chmbed  back  into  the  tonneau  he  heard  Dor- 
othy say  calmly,  "  Rae,  you  ought  to  be  more 
careful.  You'll  break  the  horns  off  some  cow 
yet  by  your  carelessness." 

"  Then  she'll  be  the  cow  with  the  crumpled 
horn,"  retorted  Biddleson.  "Ha!  ha!  HA!" 
he  guffawed,  greatly  pleased  with  his  own 
joke. 

When  they  finally  emerged  into  the  meadow 
that  bordered  Harkaway's  property  on  the 
bay  side  and  traversed  the  pretty  road  that  led 
to  the  ocean  beach,  the  party  resumed  its  spir- 
its. Dorothy  turned  round  with  shining  dark 
eyes  to  say  to  Harkaway,  "  I  think  this  is  per- 
fectly fine.     Why  did  you  sell  it? " 

"  I  haven't  altogether  sold  it,"  he  returned 
anxiously.  "An  old  chap  from  Maine  wants 
to  buy  it  and  I  gave  him  a  price  which  he 
thinks  is  all  right.  OBut  we  haven't  signed  the 
papers  yet.     So  it's  still  mine." 

The  car  slipped  through  a  little  sunny  wood, 
mounted  a  sandy  slope  sprinkled  with  scrubby 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        153 

firs  and  came  out  on  a  high,  windy  dune  beyond 
which  the  sea  glimmered.  A  fresh  north- 
wester was  blowing  and  the  ^urf  ran  in  long, 
racing  rollers  up  and  down  the  shore.  Far  out 
a  solitary  sail  rose  above  the  horizon.  Biddle- 
son  stopped  the  car  and  got  out.  "This  is 
as  good  a  place  as  any,"  he  remarked  com- 
fortably. *'  And  we've  made  our  twenty- 
miles." 

*'  But  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Harkaway's  prop- 
erty!" Dorothy  exclaimed.  "Why  not  drive 
on  through  it?" 

Miriam  was  now  out  of  the  tonneau  and  re- 
fused, to  get  back.  "  You  and  Mr.  Harkaway 
can  walk  around  and  see  it  better,"  she  said, 
with  an  excellent  air  of  lassitude.  "  I  declare, 
I'm  tired  of  riding.     The  car  jolts  so." 

"  No  such  thing,"  said  her  husband  eagerly. 
"  It  rides  finely.  Come  on  and  get  in,  Miriam. 
Harkaway  can  run  the  auto." 

Mrs.  Biddleson  despatched  to  her  husband 
a  look  of  scorn  and  waved  Harkaway  and  Dor- 
othy on.  "I  want  to  rest.  Mr.  Harkaway, 
I'll  depend  on  you  to  show  Dolhe  the  sights." 


154.        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"There  isn't  much  to  see,"  he  returned 
stiffly. 

Instead  of  the  glance  of  thanks  he  expected, 
he  got  a  full  look  in  the  face  from  Dorothy. 
"Don't  be  scared,"  she  said  quietly.  "I 
won't  make  you  propose  to  me — ^to-day." 

"Why— €r— I    never— I    didn't "     he 

stammered. 

"Of  course  not,"  Dorothy  said  promptly. 
"Anyway,  you've  as  good  as  sold  it,  and  I 
wouldn't  have  you  anyway.     Come  on!" 

Harkaway  frowned,  laughed  and  assumed  a 
sudden  expression  of  beatitude.  They  de- 
parted, chatting  comfortably.  When  they 
were  beyond  earshot  Mrs.  Biddleson  looked  at 
her  husband.  "Rae!  what's  the  matter  with 
those  two?  I  specially  warned  Dollie  last 
night  to  be  nice  to  Harkaway.  He  acts  hke  a 
perfect  fool.     And  as  for  Dolly,  she  is  acting 

like "     Words  failed  Mrs.  Biddleson  and 

she  was  silent. 

While  she  was  watching  her  husband  extract 
the  luncheon  basket  and  trying  to  formulate 
her  sense  of  disgust  into  words  the  young  peo- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        155 

pie  were  strolling  on  the  crest  of  the  dune  with 
the  sea  on  one  hand  and  the  sunny  stretches  of 
meadow  and  woods  on  the  other.  Harkaway 
was  answering  Dorothy's  questions  and  re- 
sponding to  her  small  talk,  but  with  conscious 
expectancy  of  at  any  moment  hearing  her  en- 
gage him  in  the  following  dialogue : 

"  You  must  think  Fve  behaved  very  oddly, 
Mr.  Harkaway,  but '' 

''Not  at  all.  Miss  Dora " 


"  Please  let  me  finish.  I  don't  want  you  to 
think  that  Fm  the  sort  of  girl  that  is  willing 
to  throw  or  be  thrown '' 

"  Of  course  you'll  just  think  it  awful,  Dor- 
othy; but  I  want  you  to  know  Tm  meek  and 
humble  and  don't  expect  too  much  all  at  once. 
Could  you  like  me  a  little — Dorothy!" 

Harkaway  was  undoubtedly  in  love. 

Instead  of  taking  part  in  this  delightful  im- 
aginary interchange  of  thought  Dorothy  said 
nothing  of  the  sort.  She  gave  no  hint  that 
she  considered  she  had  done  anything  impolite. 
She  admired  the  scenery  briefly,  refused  to  say 
much  and  sat  down   on   a  little   sand  bluff. 


156        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

When  Harkaway  had  thrown  himself  down 
near  her  she  graciously  told  him  he  might 
smoke. 

As  she  gazed  seaward  with  flushed,  eager 
face,  he  watched  her  unobtrusively  and  saw 
expressions  of  pleasure,  of  surprise,  of  delight 
in  the  whole  novel  play  of  nature  flit  over  her 
countenance  like  wind  across  water.  Oddly 
enough,  he  found  nothing  worth  while  to  say 
himself  and  they  sat  quietly  together  till  a  wild 
halloo  told  them  Biddleson  was  announcing 
luncheon.  Dorothy  got  quickly  up  and  re- 
marked contentedly,  "I  don't  see  why  every- 
body doesn't  live  in  some  place  like  this.  Why 
don't  Rae  and  Miriam?" 

"  He's  cashier  of  the  bank,"  Harkaway  ex- 
plained, "  and  he  has  to  live  in  town." 

"Isn't  it  horrid?"  Dorothy  exclaimed.  "I 
thought  Tidewater  would  look  pretty  when 
I  came  back  to  it.  But  it  doesn't.  This  is 
heavenly." 

Mrs.  Biddleson  received  them  hospitably, 
presiding  over  several  square  yards  of  spotless 
table-cloth  from  her  seat  against  the  rear  wheel 


j 

FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        157  1 

of  the  Durable.     She  waved  a  welcome  to  them  ; 

with  an  olive  fork  and  Biddleson,  raising  an 
inflamed  countenance  from  a  large  fire  and  a 
steaming  coffee  pot,  demanded  of  Harkaway 
why  he  did  not  clean  out  the  spring.     "It's  i 

a  pretty  thing  to  invite  people  to  your  place 
and  then  ask  them  to  get  water  for  coffee  out  i 

of  a  mud  puddle."  ' 

"Is  the  coffee  going  to  be  muddy?"  Mir- 
iam demanded  anxiously. 

Biddleson  again  investigated  the  contents  of  \ 

the  pot  with  streaming  eyes  and  shook  his  head. 
"  I    don't    know,"    he    replied    simply.     "  I  - 

strained  the  water  through  the  gasoline 
strainer." 

Dorothy,  just  about  to  sit  down,  stared  sud- 
denly at  her  brother-in-law,  then  dropped  to  ; 
the  ground  and  reached  for  a  boiled  egg. 
Later  she  tested  the  coffee  and  turned  to  Hark-  ■ 
away  to  say,  "  I  wish  you  would  clean  out  that 
spring,  Mr.  Harkaway.  Rae  has  spoiled  the 
coffee.  It  has  a  sort  of  back-fire  taste  to 
it." 

"I  didn't  even  know  there  was   a  spring 


158        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

here,"  Harkaway  remarked.  "  There  is  a  very 
good  well,  though." 

"  Well,  why  didn't  you  say  so?  "  Biddlesori 
demanded  wrathfully.  "If  you  and  Dorothy 
had  stayed  here  and  helped,  then  we  would 
have  had  good  coffee.  That's  just  the  way 
with  people  like  you — gad  off  and  then  come 
back  and  kick  about  things." 

"  Never  mind,  old  man,  I'll  run  the  auto  back 
to  town  and  you  needn't  do  anything  but  sit 
in  the  tonneau  and  talk,"  Harkaway  said  com- 
fortingly. "  By  the  way,  did  you  turn  off  the 
gasoline?" 

" Do  you  hear  the  engine  running? "  Biddle- 
son  demanded  sarcastically. 

"  No,  but  I  smell  gasoline." 

"  It's  the  coffee,"  said  Mrs.  Biddleson  frig- 
idly. 

"  Perhaps,  but  I  see  something  dripping  un- 
der the  car,"  Dorothy  remarked.  "  In  fact, 
it's  quite  a  little  stream.  If  it's  water,  it 
smells  funny." 

Biddleson  got  up  with  a  groan  and  went  over 
to  the  Durable.     They  heard  him  give  a  sud- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        159 

den  exclamation.  "  It's  gasoline  all  right,"  he 
cried.  "  How  did  it  happen?  Harkaway,  did 
you  touch  this  little  stop  cock  under  the  car- 
buretor?" 

"  I  just  asked  you  if  you  did,"  was  the  re- 
sponse.    "You're  running  the  car." 

Biddleson  came  back,  wiping  his  hands  on 
his  handkerchief.  "  We  didn't  lose  much,"  he 
said  easily.  "  I  see  just  how  it  happened. 
We  were  going  through  that  brush  back  there 
and  a  little  branch  must  have  caught  it  and 
opened  the  cock  a  little.  Lucky  we've  got 
plenty  of  gasoline." 

Miriam's  luncheon  was  good,  barring  the 
coiFee,  and  as  the  meal  progressed  Biddleson 
laid  large  plans.  "We'll  just  do  this  every 
Sunday,  eh.  Hark?  Nothing  like  it.  Now 
that  we've  got  our  own  machine  we  can  go  just 
where  and  when  we  like.  Where'll  we  go  next 
Sunday?" 

"  I'm  going  to  church,"  Miriam  announced 
virtuously,  glancing  at  her  husband. 

"  Oh,  well,  if  you  have  to  go  to  church,  Hark 
and  I'll  go  off  on  a  stag  picnic,"  Biddleson  said. 


160        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

brightening  up  at  the  prospect  of  a  day  with 
the  Durable  without  the  ladies  bothering 
around. 

"  But  you  have  to  go  with  me,"  his  wife  ex- 
plained. "Don't  you  know?  you're  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Guild  and  the  Bishop  will  be 
there.  You've  got  to  hand  in  your  ac- 
counts." 

"  One  dollar  and  fifty-seven  cents,"  Biddle- 
son  responded  promptly. 

"It  isn't  the  amount,"  Miriam  continued, 
loftily.  "It's  the  moral  effect  of  the  thing. 
Of  course,  you  must  be  there ! " 

"  I'll  appoint  Dorothy  my  deputy,"  Biddle- 
son  said  weakly.  "  She  can  do  the  thing  as 
well  as  I  can." 

"  Oh,  there's  no  occasion  for  Dorothy  to  go," 
Miriam  said  with  supernatural  indifference. 
"  Dorothy  can  go  wherever  she  likes." 

"  Then  she  might  be  willing  to  go  with  me," 
Harkaway  put  in  anxiously.  "We  could  go 
and  see  the  sights  up  the  coast." 

"I'm  afraid  I  promised  Mr.  Biggs  to  go 
with  him  some  day  in  his  launch,"  Dorothy  said 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        161 

slowly,  eating  an  olive.  "And  I'm  not  sure 
he  didn't  say  next  Sunday." 

Mrs.  Biddleson  was  about  to  make  a  long 
remark  when  there  came  a  faint  sound  from 
the  bay  and  Biddleson  said,  "  By  George,  that 
sounds  like  the  Spithead  now.  It's  Biggs,  I'll 
bet  a  hat.     Wonder  what  he's  doing  up  here?  " 

"  Nobody  could  ever  tell  what  Mr.  Biggs 
might  do  at  any  moment,"  said  Miriam  icily. 
"  He  might  even  be  coming  here.  He  seems 
to  think  he's  invited  to  everything." 

*'  Oh,  is  he  coming  here? "  Dorothy  inquired, 
with  interest.     "How  nice!    I  like  him." 


CHAPTER  IX 

BIDDLESON   MAKES   THE   COFFEE 

At  this  moment  Biggs's  launch  appeared  off 
the  point  and  rapidly  slipped  into  the  little 
bight  above  which  the  party  was  lunching. 
Biggs  was  alone  and  he  had  evidently  been 
scanning  the  scene,  for  when  Dorothy  waved 
her  handkerchief  he  replied  by  a  flourish  of  his 
cap  and  ran  the  launch  straight  up  to  the 
beach. 

When  he  appeared  through  the  fern  Miriam 
refused  to  get  up  and  merely  nodded  to  him. 
Dorothy  smiled,  moved  over  a  little  and  in- 
sisted on  his  sitting  beside  her.  "  You're  aw- 
fully late,"  she  announced. 

*'  I  am  sorry,"  said  Biggs,  not  knowing  what 
else  to  say. 

"We  weren't  sure  you  were  coming,"  said 

Miriam,    placing    a    slight    emphasis    on    the 

"you,"  hoping  by  this  that  he  would  under- 
let 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        163 

stand  that  they  were  sure  he  was  not  coming. 
*'  Or,"  she  concluded,  "  we  should  have  waited 
luncheon  for  you." 

"I'm  glad  you  didn't  think  of  waiting  for 
me,"  returned  Biggs,  which  was  quite  a  sen- 
sible remark  to  make  considering  the  fact  that 
he  had  no  intention  of  coming  and  it  was  by 
the  merest  chance  that  he  was  there. 

"  Have  some  beef  tea,  old  man? "  Harkaway 
interposed  facetiously,  handing  Biggs  a  cup 
of  the  muddy  concoction  that  had  been  digni- 
fied by  the  name  of  coffee.  "  It's  very  good 
and  I  think  you  will  like  it.  Bid  made  it  him- 
self— no  one  can  make  beef  tea  like  Bid  can; 
tastes  a  little  like  coffee,  but  you  won't  mind 
that  after  the  first  swallow." 

"  It  does  taste  a  bit  like  coffee,"  agreed 
Biggs  doubtfully,  sipping  it. 

"  It  is  coffee,"  said  Mrs.  Biddleson  coldly. 
"  Will  you  have  cream  and  sugar,  Mr.  Biggs?  " 

*'  Thank  you,  two  lumps,  if  you  please,"  said 
the  unabashed  Biggs.  "I  fancy,"  he  contin- 
ued, still  unaware  of  Miriam's  frigidity,  *'  that 
I   taste  something  besides   coffee.     It's   a — 


164        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

a "  He  stirred  the  sugar  up  and  took  an- 
other sip. 

"  A  kind  of  hydrocarbon  effect?  "  suggested 
Harkaway. 

"  No-o,"  he  answered  slowly.  He  closed  his 
eyes  and  endeavoured  through  a  train  of  asso- 
ciated ideas  to  arrive  at  the  true  nature  and  ori- 
gin of  the  strangely  familiar  taste.  "  It's 
more  like — ^it's  something  like — ^it's  cylinder 
oil  I "  he  finally  announced. 

"There!"  said  Harkaway,  turning  to  Bid- 
dleson  and  gazing  at  him  in  sad  reproach. 
*'  Didn't  I  tell  you  that  if  you  wiped  the  gaso- 
line strainer  with  that  old  greasy  rag  you'd  get 
some  dirt  in  the  carburetor,  or  spoil  the  coffee, 
or  set  the  ice-cream  afire,  or  do  something  dan- 
gerous ?  You  are  altogether  too  messy,  Ez,  to 
be  a  good  cook,  and  too  thoughtless  to  be  a 
good  chauffeur.  Hereafter,  I  shall  run  the 
auto  myself  and  Mrs.  Biddleson  will  serve  the 
ice-cream.  Have  some  ice-cream.  Biggs. 
Bid  hasn't  touched  it,  I  assure  you.  It's  a  fine 
antidote  for  cylinder  oil." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Biggs  gratefully,  put- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        165 

ting  down  the  coiFee.  "  I  would  have  an  ice,  if 
you  don't  mind." 

"  This  is  ice-cream,  not  an  ice,"  said  Miriam, 
relaxing  a  little. 

"  Yes,"  Harkaway  supplemented.  *'  This  is 
real  ice-cream,  not  one  of  those  damp,  ghastly 
messes  they  serve  to  perspiring  Americans  in 
London." 

"And  when  you've  finished  it,"  said  Dor- 
othy, "  I  will  give  you  another  if  you  promise  to 
tell  us  just  why  you  were  late." 

Biggs  was  nearly  done  with  his  second  dish, 
pondering  deeply  all  the  while.  But  he  could 
not  think  of  an  adequate  reason  for  being  late 
when  he  had  not  intended  to  come  at  all. 
"  Perhaps  they  did  invite  me,"  he  thought. 
"  Didn't  Dorothy  wave  her  handkerchief  as 
though  she  expected  me  and  then  reproach  me 
for  being  late;  and  besides,  Mrs.  Biddleson 
said  if  she  had  been  sure  I  would  come,  she 
would  have  waited.  I  am  a  clumsy  ass," 
Biggs  concluded,  "and  Mrs.  Biddleson  will 
never  forgive  me.  Anyway,  I  know  why  I 
didn't  get  here  sooner  than  I  did." 


166        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  I  had  trouble  with  my  timer,"  Biggs  an- 
nounced finally  and  truthfully  enough. 

"Did  you  forget  to  wind  it?"  asked  Dor- 
othy, looking  at  Biggs  with  great  innocence. 

"Huh!"  snorted  her  brother-in-law  with 
great  sarcasm.  "  I  suppose  you  think  a 
timer's  an  alarm  clock  that  he  sets  so  he  can 
tell  when  to  start ! " 

"I  had  some  trouble  with  the  timer — the 
commutator,  you  know,"  Biggs  began  again, 
ignoring  the  interruption.  "  The  spring 
broke." 

"The  mainspring,  of  course,"  Biddleson 
said  in  an  aside  to  Harkaway,  nudging  him. 

"That's  too  bad,"  Dorothy  sympathised. 
"  What  does  it  do?  Won't  the  engine  go  with- 
out it?" 

"Ha  HA!"  exploded  Biddleson  as  what  he 
thought  was  a  brilliant  and  an  original  idea 
struck  him.  "  Ha  HA !  the  engine  goes  when 
the  boat  goes.  Ha  HA!"  He  waited  for  a 
responsive  laugh,  but  none  was  forthcoming. 
Instead,  he  felt  his  wife's  disapproving  eyes 
upon  him. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        167 

"  Rae,  dear,"  she  said  patiently,  "  you  are 
thinking  of  the  old  joke  about  a  broken  watch 
which  goes  when  its  owner  goes.  Mr.  Biggs 
is  speaking  of  a  broken  commutator  spring." 

"But  wouldn't  the  engine  go  if  the  boat 
went?  "  objected  Biddleson,  only  dimly  realis- 
ing that  somehow  or  other  his  joke  had  been 
short-circuited.     "  Ha  HA ! " 

"  Yes,  if  he  used  oars,  but  he  has  no  oars," 
said  the  practical  Miriam. 

"  It  could  float  out  to  sea  with  the  tide,  or 
he  could  push  it  with  a  pole,"  Biddleson  pro- 
tested.    "  Ha  HA !  "—this  defiantly. 

"  That  will  do,  dear,"  Miriam  said  firmly  and 
quietly.  "  You  can  tell  the  rest  of  it  to  me  to- 
night." 

"  Ha  HA! "  Biddleson  guffawed  once  more; 
but  this  time  it  was  only  a  reflex  action.  He 
had  already  subsided  imder  his  wife's  com- 
pelling gaze. 

"  It's  the  spring  that  works  the  commutator," 
Biggs  went  on  evenly,  as  though  he  hadn't  been 
interrupted. 

"Yes?"  said  Dorothy  inquiringly. 


168        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  The  commutator  speeds  the  engine,"  Biggs 
went  on.  "  It  makes  the  connection  with  the 
electric  current.  It  goes  round  and  I  set  it 
with  a  little  lever  and  the  engine  goes  fast  or 
slow  according  to  the  way  I  set  the  timer.  It's 
quite  simple,  really.  If  you  saw  it  you  would 
understand." 

"  Do  show  it  to  me,"  Dorothy  said  with  great 
interest.  "  I  like  to  know  about  such  things, 
(Mr.  Biggs." 

"  With  the  greatest  of  pleasure,"  responded 
Biggs  politely. 

As  Dorothy  and  Biggs  got  up  to  go  to  the 
launch  Mrs.  Biddleson  brushed  the  crumbs 
from  her  lap  in  the  most  conspicuous  manner 
possible  and  announced  in  clear,  commanding 
tones,  "  And  now  we  will  gather  up  the  things 
and  start  for  home."  She  reached  here  and 
there  for  cups,  saucers  and  spoons  to  make  a 
big  noise  with,  hoping  that  Dorothy  would 
realise  that  she  ought  to  help,  and  that  Biggs 
would  forget  his  commutator. 

Dorothy  recognised  her  responsibility  re- 
garding the  picnic  things,  but  quickly  shifted 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        169 

the  burden  of  it  on  Biddleson  who  sat  in  a  daze 
still  trying  to  solve  the  mystery  of  his  frus- 
trated joke.  "  Oh,  Rae  will  help,"  Dorothy 
said  lightly.  "  And  when  Mr.  Harkaway  gets 
the  car  ready  he  can  blow  the  horn  and  I'll 
come  back." 

"Mr.  Harkaway,"  said  Miriam  pointedly, 
after  they  were  gone,  "don't  you  think  you 
should  go  too  and  see  how  it  works,  because  if 
the  commutator  in  the  car  should  break  you 
would  know  how  to  fix  it?  " 

"Not  me,"  replied  Harkaway  in  great 
gloom.  "  The  Durable  hasn't  got  any  commu- 
tator ;  and,  besides,  I  don't  butt  in  on  any  man 
— ^it's  no  picnic  of  mine.  Let  Biggs  enjoy 
himself  while  he  can.  It's  his  launch  and  his 
cormnutator.  Me  for  a  cigarette  and  the  tall 
grass." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  Miriam  agreed  sar- 
castically. "  It  apparently  isn't  any  picnic  of 
yours.  And,"  her  mind  here  reverted  to  the 
real  picnic  to  which  they  had  come  in  the  auto 
and  into  which  Biggs  had  intruded  with  his 
launch,  "  as  far  as  I  can  see,  it  doesn't  seem  to 


170        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

be  anybody's  picnic  but  Mr.  Biggs's.  I  really 
believe  that  child  had  the  audacity  to  ask  him  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  she  knew  we  didn't  want 
him." 

"  It  does  look  as  though  she  had  invited  him," 
admitted  Harkaway.  "  At  least  he  seemed  to 
think  someone  did.  I  know  I  didn't.  Any- 
way, so  long  as  he's  here  we've  got  to  treat  him 
white." 

"  That's  right,"  Biddleson  heartily  con- 
curred. *'  Harvey's  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I 
don't  care  who  invited  him." 

"  Did  you  invite  him,  Rae? "  demanded  Mrs. 
Biddleson  in  a  tone  that  made  Harkaway  sorry 
for  Bid.  But  Biddleson  was  in  no  mood  for 
anybody's  sympathy.  His  face  bore  the  look 
of  the  fabled  worm  that  finally  turned — at  least 
that's  the  way  he  would  have  looked  if  a  worm 
had  a  face.  "I  guess  it  would  have  been  all 
right  if  I  had,"  he  asserted  boldly. 

'^  Mae! "  Mrs.  Biddleson  imposed  upon  her 
husband  a  haughty,  domineering  look,  but  he 
refused  to  be  subdued. 

"Hi!  Biggs!"  he  shouted  as  the  climax  to 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        171 

his  long-delayed  but  now  determined  declara- 
tion of  conjugal  independence.  "  Come  back 
and  have  some  more  ice-cream!  " 

Biggs  didn't  hear  him.  "  It's  just  an  or- 
dinary coil  spring,"  he  was  saying  to  Dorothy. 
"  It  holds  one  point  in  contact  with  another. 
The  spring  broke  and  it  took  me  half  an  hour 
to  find  another  to  put  in." 

"  Is  it  all  right  now? "  asked  Dorothy,  as 
Biggs  helped  her  into  the  launch. 

"Just  as  good  as  new,"  answered  Biggs, 
holding  her  hand  just  a  little  longer  than  was 
necessary. 

"It  looks  like  a  good  boat,"  Dorothy  said 
vaguely,  extracting  her  hand  from  Biggs's  too 
helpful  grasp.  "Is  that  the  engine?"  she  in- 
quired, pointing  to  the  two  cylinder  machine 
that  even  a  blind  man  would  have  recognised 
as  the  motive  power  of  the  vessel. 

"  Yes,  that's  it,"  replied  Biggs  with  a  trace 
of  suspicion  in  his  voice.  It  was  nothing  un- 
usual with  Biggs  to  have  people  pretend  ignor- 
ance of  a  piece  of  machinery  or  something,  so 
that  later,  they  could  display  a  brilliant  and  as- 


172        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

tonishing  ability  to  discover  all  that  was  known 
about  it.  Not  that  Biggs  thought  Dorothy 
would  be  guilty  of  such  vanity,  but,  really,  she 
had  overdone  the  thing  somewhat.  Biggs 
stood  in  non-committal  silence  while  Dorothy 
fluttered  about,  examining  first  this  and  then 
that. 

"  What  a  cute  little  wheel,"  she  said  finally, 
taking  hold  of  a  spoke  of  the  brass-bound  steer- 
ing wheel  which  was  installed  by  the  side  of  the 
engine.  "What  would  happen  if  I  turned 
it?" 

"  Nothing,"  answered  Biggs,  now  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  she  was  trifling  with  his 
supposed  credulity.  "  That  is,  nothing,  ex- 
cept that  you  might  stun  a  fish  with  the  rudder 
as  it  swings  around." 

Dorothy,  like  a  child,  rapidly  turned  the 
wheel,  and  then  quickly  peered  over  to  the  side, 
ostensibly  to  ascertain  what  havoc  she  had  done. 
"You  mean  thing!"  she  announced,  after  a 
fruitless  gaze  into  the  water.  "  I  didn't  get 
a. thing!  I  believe  you  are  teasing  me,  Mr. 
Biggs!" 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        173 

"Haw-haw!"  laughed  Biggs,  quite  pleased 
with  himself. 

"And  what  is  this?"  she  proceeded,  indi- 
cating the  lever  that  shifted  the  propeller 
blades.  "  Does  that  handle  make  the  boat  go 
too? " 

"Yes — it  makes  it  go  backwards." 

"  There!  it  didn't  do  a  thing! "  she  exclaimed 
with  a  pout  as  she  pulled  the  lever  clear  back 
and  the  boat  remained  motionless.  "  I'm  sure, 
now,  Mr.  Biggs,  that  you're  joking.  I  didn't 
know  Englishmen  joked.  I  thought  they  just 
stood  around  and  said  'Bah  Jove!'" 

"Now,  really.  Miss  Dorothy,"  objected 
Biggs,  quite  taken  aback.  "  They  don't — 
they  do,  of  course — I  mean  they  say,  'By 
Jove ! '  but  they  do  something  else  as  well, 
don't  you  know!"  He  wiped  his  forehead  in 
great  perplexity.  He  was  in  an  unusual  state 
of  confusion,  quite  astonishing  to  him.  It 
may  have  been  Dorothy's  bright  eyes  which 
were  looking  mischievously  into  his.  At  any 
rate  he  was  unable  to  recall  any  specific  in- 
stance of  what  his  countrymen  did  do  under 


174.        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

the  not  clearly  defined  circumstances.  "By 
Jove!"  he  finally  exploded. 

Dorothy  laughed  merrily.  "You  English 
people  are  just  deliciously  funny,"  she  de- 
clared.    "I " 

"Really,"  said  Biggs,  scenting  a  compli- 
ment.    "There's  Barrie,  you  know;  he " 

"But  Barrie's  a  Scotchman,"  interposed 
Dorothy.  "What  I  meant  was  you  are  so 
funny  when  you  are  serious." 

"Indeed?"  said  Biggs  stiffly,  recovering  his 
dignity.  "I'm  glad  it  pleases  you  to  see  us 
serious,  for  we  do  try  to  be  sensible  part  of  the 
time.  You  Americans  try  to  be  humorous  all 
the  time,  which  gets  to  be  a  beastly  bore,  don't 
you  know ! " 

Dorothy  looked  at  him,  a  hasty  retort  on 
her  lips.  But  something  in  Biggs's  manner 
deterred  her.  It,  perhaps,  was  a  demeanour 
compelling  respect,  even  though  Dorothy 
didn't  recognise  that  quality  in  it.  Biding  her 
time,  she  presently  said  in  a  humble  tone, 
"Thank  you!" 

"Beg  pardon!" 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        175 

"  Thank  you  for  the  rebuke,"  said  Dorothy. 
"  Being  humorous  all  the  time  is  really  too 
much  of  a  strain,  so  we  become  silly.  I  won- 
der we've  never  thought  to  stop ! " 

"It's  never  too  late  to  begin,"  Biggs  sug- 
gested amicably. 

"To  begin  what?" 

"  To  begin  to  stop — I  mean  stop  beginning 
to — oh!"  Biggs  gathered  himself  together 
with  an  effort,  seeing  a  twinkle  of  amusement 
in  Dorothy's  eyes.  "  I  mean  that  there  is  no 
reason  why  one  should  not  be  serious  when 
one  feels  like  it  and  that  we  should  begin  right 
now." 

"All  right,"  agreed  Dorothy.  "And  per- 
haps you  will  first  be  good  enough  to  tell  me 
how  to  start  this  engine." 

"  You  throw  the  switch  over,  and  if  there  is 
a  charge  in  one  of  the  cylinders  away  she'll 
go.     Try  it." 

Dorothy  tried  it  without  result.  Although 
she  seemed  much  disappointed,  she  was  well 
aware  what  was  the  matter.  The  switch-plug, 
a  small,  brass,  nail-like  affair,  was  missing  from 


176        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

its  hole,  and  there  being  no  electric  connection 
even  when  she  threw  the  switch,  she  would  have 
been  more  than  surprised  if  the  engine  had 
started.  However,  she  managed  to  look  much 
put  out. 

"I  don't  think  that  was  very  funny,"  she 
said  severely,  as  Biggs  guffawed  loudly  and 
exhibited  with  great  glee  the  brass  plug  which 
he  had  been  carrying  in  his  pocket.  "You 
promised  to  be  serious,  you  know,  and  now 
you  are  as  wildly  silly  as — as  any  American. 
If  you  do  that  again  I'll  get  right  out  of  the 
boat!" 

At  this  threat  Biggs  suddenly  subsided,  and 
looked  much  more  foolish  than  he  felt.  He 
even  failed  to  notice  that  Dorothy  could  not 
have  got  out  of  the  boat  if  she  had  wished  to, 
for  the  rising  tide  had  floated  the  Spithead 
into  three  feet  of  water  and  her  nose  was  a 
dozen  feet  from  the  bank. 

"  Now  tell  me,"  said  Dorothy  imperiously, 
taking  note  of  Biggs's  abject  expression, 
"why  the  engine  didn't  start  and  why  you 
are  so  pleased  with  that  ridiculous  brass  thing 
you  have  in  your  hand." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        177 

"  This,"  said  Biggs,  meekly  enough,  "  is  a 
safety  plug.  When  I  take  it  out  it  breaks  the 
battery  circuit  and  of  course  the  engine  won't 
go. 

"  The  engine  won't  go,  just  on  account  of 
that  little  thing? "  queried  Dorothy,  with  su- 
pernatural innocence. 

"No!     Couldn't  possibly." 

"  Not  if  I  turned  the  switch  the  other  way? " 

"  Try  it,"  Biggs  invited  her  again. 

Dorothy  turned  the  switch — off,  this  time — 
and  did  it  in  such  a  manner  that  she  made 
Biggs  believe  she  expected  something  start- 
ling to  happen;  then,  unnoticed  by  Biggs,  she 
deftly  inserted  a  steel  hairpin  into  the  hole 
left  vacant  by  the  brass  plug  which  Biggs  con- 
fidently twirled  in  his  fingers.  Covering  the 
switch  with  one  hand  so  that  he  couldn't  see 
the  hairpin,  she  looked  up  at  him  reproach- 
fully. 

"  It  didn't  go  after  all,"  she  admitted.  "  I 
thought  you  were  teasing  me  again.  What  did 
you  say  that  brass  plug  did?" 

"  It's  part  of  the  electric  circuit.  You  see," 
explained  Biggs  carefully,  as  though  conduct- 


178        FIVE  GALLONS*  OF  GASOLINE 

ing  a  class  in  motor  boating,  "when  the  pis- 
ton recedes  it  sucks  in  a  charge  of  gasoHne 
vapour  through  the  carburetor  mixed  with  air ; 
when  it  comes  up  again  it  compresses  the  mix- 
ture— ^the  mixture  of  gas  and  air,  you  know. 
At  this  point  the  electric  spark  from  the  bat- 
tery and  coil  ignites  the  charge,  and  the  re- 
sulting explosion  is  the  force  that  drives  the 
engine.  You  see,  if  there  is  any  break  in  the 
electrical  connection — ^this  is  where  the  plug 
comes  in" — perhaps  Biggs  meant  to  say  that 
this  was  where  the  plug  came  out — "  there  can 
be  no  spark,  no  explosion  and  the  engine  can't 
go.  Not  while  I  have  this  plug,"  Biggs 
added,  concealing  with  dijSiculty  his  immense 
pleasure  because  he  had  the  plug  and  the  best 
of  Dorothy. 

"  I  don't  exactly  understand,"  said  Dorothy 
demurely,  her  hand  still  covering  the  switch, 
"what  the  plug  has  to  do  with  it.  Are  you 
sure  the  engine  won't  go  without  the  plug?" 

Biggs  smiled  a  superior  smile,  in  Heu  of  an 
open  answer,  indicating  plainly  that  he  had 
never  heard  of  such  a  thing  and  that  the  pos- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        179 

sibility  of  a  gasoline  engine  going  with  a  break 
in  the  electrical  connections  was  not  worth 
discussing. 

"What  would  you  say  if  it  did?"  pursued 
Dorothy,  her  hand  on  the  switch. 

"  Why,  I'd— I'd  say "  he  began.     But 

what  it  was  he  intended  to  say,  he  didn't  say 
just  then,  for  at  that  instant  Dorothy  threw 
over  the  switch  and  the  engine  started  up  with 
a  loud  roar.  The  S pithead  jumped  full  speed 
astern  and  Biggs,  losing  his  balance,  fell  back- 
wards over  the  bulkhead  and  measured  his  full 
length  on  the  carpet  in  the  forward  part  of 
the  launch.  Even  then  he  wasn't  prepared  to 
finish  his  interrupted  remark.  In  a  dazed 
manner  he  got  himself  into  a  sitting  posture, 
made  a  futile  grab  at  something  in  the  air 
above  his  head,  presumably  some  stars  he 
could  see  floating  about,  rubbed  the  back  of 
his  head,  and  then  passed  his  hand  two  or 
three  times  across  his  forehead.  This  well- 
known  operation  for  clearing  one's  mind,  or 
one's  vision,  enabled  Biggs  to  see  Dorothy 
seated  calmly  by  the  engine,  looking  at  him 


180        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

with  great  interest  as  if  waiting  to  hear  what 
he  had  to  say. 

"By  Jove!"  said  Biggs. 

Dorothy  laughed  in  great  glee.  "I  knew 
that  was  what  you  would  say.  That  is  what 
an  Englishman  always  says.  And  now  that 
you  have  said  it,  I'll  run  the  boat  while  you 
are  thinking  up  something  else  to  say."  The 
Spithead  meanwhile  was  at  a  standstill,  bow 
towards  the  open  bay.  While  Biggs  was  re- 
covering his  senses  Dorothy  had  throttled  the 
engine  down,  put  the  reverse  lever  in  the  cen- 
tre and  left  the  propeller  to  revolve  slowly  and 
ineffectually  in  the  water.  Now,  without  fur- 
ther consideration  for  Biggs,  or  asking  infor- 
mation how  to  do  it,  she  opened  the  throttle 
wide,  threw  the  lever  back  and  the  Spithead 
began  backing  towards  the  woods  at  an  alarm- 
ing rate  so  that  Biggs,  still  dazed,  felt  sure 
his  boat  was  going  to  climb  a  tree  at  the 
water's  edge.  "Look  out!"  he  shouted  in 
alarm. 

"  Isn't  it  strange,"  observed  Dorothy  with- 
out emotion  as  she  moved  the  lever  forward  at 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        181 

just  the  right  time  and  the  screw  churned  the 
water  furiously  and  then  slowly  drove  the  craft 
forward  on  a  graceful  curve  out  of  the  little 
cove  and  out  upon  the  bay,  "isn't  it  a  most 
curious  coincidence  that  Mr.  Fairbanks  had  a 
boat  exactly  like  this  one — the  Spoonholder, 
he  called  it — and  a  Durable  automobile  so 
much  like  Rae's  that  I  thought  when  I  first 
saw  it  they  must  have  bought  it  from  him 
second  hand?  " 

"Mr.  Fairbanks?"  questioned  Biggs, 
achieving  instinctively  and  at  once  a  solid  dis- 
like for  Fairbanks,  whoever  he  was. 

"Oh,  Fred — Mr.  Fairbanks — was  at  the 
university,  in  the  engineering  department, 
head  instructor  in  'Applied  Mechanics.'  I 
didn't  take  that  course,  but  Fred — ^Mr.  Fair- 
banks— used  to  take  me — I  mean  we  used  to 
go  out  Saturday  afternoons  for  an  auto  ride 
on  the  lake  in  the  Spoonholder/' 

"  Took  the  car  with  you  in  the  boat,  I  sup- 
pose," said  Biggs  in  a  weak  attempt  at  sar- 
casm. 

"  No,"    answered    Dorothy.     "  Fred — Mr. 


182        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Fairbanks — put  the  Durable  in  the  boathouse. 
It  was  some  trouble  to  get  it  in,  of  course,  but 
it  would  have  looked  too  absurd  to  leave  an  au- 
tomobile standing  by  the  side  of  the  lake  just 
as  though  the  horses  were  taking  a  swim,  so 
we  used  to  untie  the  boathouse,  turn  it  round, 
to  get  the  big,  swinging  doors  on  the  right 
end,  and  then  Fred  would  run  the  car  down 
into  it  on  some  planks.  When  it  was  inside 
we'd  lock  it  up,  turn  it  round  again  and  no  one 
would  ever  take  it  for  a  garage." 

"  No,  I  don't  believe  anybody  would,'*  said 
Biggs  gravely. 

"And  then,"  continued  Dorothy,  "we'd 
have  the  loveliest  ride  on  the  lake,  particularly 
when  the  moon  was  shining  and — and " 

"When  the  moon  was  shining,"  repeated 
Biggs  with  an  inward  pain. 

"Yes,  and  Mr.  Fairbanks  talked  so  beauti- 
fully— so  differently  from  the  way  he  did  in 
his  classes — and — about — all  kinds  of  engines, 
one  cylinder  and  two  cyhnder.  Two,  he  said, 
were  always  better  than  one.  And  he  told  me 
about  sparks " 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        18S 

"Why,  to  be  sure,"  interrupted  Biggs  bit- 
terly, as  a  hateful  vision  presented  itself  to 
his  eyes  of  Dorothy  on  a  Minnesota  lake  in 
soft  moonlight  with  an  odious  professor  sit- 
ting close  to  her  telling  her  in  tender  tones  of 
the  moving  and  emotional  parts  of  a  gasoline 
engine.  "I'm  sure  he  told  you  all  about 
sparks." 

"Of  course,"  said  Dorothy,  "and  I  know 
aU  about  high  compression  and  low  compres- 
sion  "  » 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  said  Biggs,  grinding  his 
teeth. 

"And  knots,  half -hitch,  bowline,  reef- 
knot " 

"And  lovers'  knots,"  suggested  Biggs  in 
despair. 

"Yes,  and  rings,"  said  Dorothy  mischiev- 
ously. "Piston  rings,  of  course;  and  when 
we  went  home  in  the  Durable  he  let  me  drive 

so  that  his  hand  would  be  free  to — ^to " 

At  this  point  Biggs  looked  as  if  he  wanted  to 
get  out  of  the  boat,  so  Dorothy  repented. 
"  Free  to  roll  cigarettes  and  smoke,"  she  said. 


184        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  I'm  sure,  Mr.  Biggs,  you  want  to  smoke. 
Do  light  your  pipe  I  I  don't  mind  it  in  the 
least.  And  you  must  promise  not  to  tell  the 
others!  I  mean,  don't  say  anything  to  Rae 
and  Mr.  Harkaway  about  the  Durable.  It 
■will  make  them  so  cross." 

The  Spithead  under  her  sensible,  seaman- 
like management,  was  pointed  straight  across 
the  bay  and  rapidly  making  for  Tidewater. 
Biggs  sat  smoking,  gazing  at  Dorothy 
thoughtfully.  She  was  something  outside  his 
experience.  As  the  result  of  the  too  careful 
tutelage  of  Fairbanks  she  seemed  capable  of 
anything,  even  of  converting  the  SpitUead  into 
a  submarine  at  a  moment's  notice,  or  into  an 
airship,  perhaps.  As  Biggs  smoked,  and 
smoked,  things  assumed  a  truer  perspective; 
he  forgot  for  the  time  his  ignominious  descent 
into  the  shallow  hold  of  his  craft;  even  Fair- 
banks became  less  of  an  officious  meddler  in 
the  affairs  of  mechanics  and  women.  Under 
the  influence  of  his  pipe  and  with  the  return 
of  calm,  all  his  British  assurance  and  dignity 
came  back  to  him. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        185 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  I'd  like  to  know  where 
■we're  going,"  he  said  inquiringly. 

"I  don't  know  where  you  are  going,  but 
I'm  going  home,"  answered  Dorothy,  ignor- 
ing the  fact  that  she  had,  in  a  most  high-handed 
manner,  taken  possession  of  Biggs's  boat,  and 
that  Biggs  was  in  it  himself  and  perforce  must 
go  where  she  did. 

"But,"  objected  Biggs,  forgetting  whose 
boat  it  was  also,  "  you  won't  go  away  and  leave 
the  others !  They  wiU  wait  all  hours  for  you. 
They  wouldn't  leave  without  you." 

"  They  wouldn't  leave  anyway,  very  far, 
whether  I  was  there  or  not,"  she  replied. 
"Why?"  asked  Biggs  in  surprise. 
"They  can't.  They're  out  of  gasoline.  I 
looked  in  the  tank.  They  only  brought  two 
gallons  along  and  they  haven't  got  a  quart  left. 
So  what's  the  use?" 

Dorothy  really  intended  to  circle  around  for 
awhile  and  then  return  to  the  party,  replenish 
the  Durable's  tank  with  some  from  Biggs's 
supply  and  finally  dismiss  that  gentleman  with 
a  dazzling  smile,  or  an  intimidating  frown. 


186        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

whichever  under  the  circumstances  she  thought 
would  do  him  the  most  good.  However, 
Biggs  was  no  mind  reader.  He  objected 
again : 

"But  you  can't  leave  them  like  that,  you 
know!" 

"NTo?"  said  Dorothj^  with  a  rising  inflec- 
tion, as  much  as  to  say  that  the  Spithead  was 
leaving  as  it  was,  and  that  there  was  nothing 
to  prevent  her  going  on  forever. 

"But  you  can't  leave  them  like  that,  you 
know!"  repeated  Biggs  more  firmly,  but  still 
politely. 

"Did  you  speak  to  me?"  demanded  Dor- 
othy coldly  and  as  indiiFerently  as  she  could, 
considering  her  rising  anger.  jSTo  man  had 
ever  before  even  suggested  to  her  that  she 
would  or  would  not  do  a  certain  thing.  Biggs, 
she  thought,  ought  to  be  put  in  his  proper 
place.     She  would  do  it. 

"Yes,"  said  Biggs  in  a  very  icy  manner, 
"  and  you  will  pardon  me,  I  am  sure,  if  I  in- 
sist that  we  go  back  at  once."  Biggs  rose, 
took  a  step  forward  and  looked  at  Dorothy  as 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        187 

though  expecting  her  to  relinquish  her  seat  by 
the  engine  and  allow  him  to  run  the  launch. 
This  manoeuvre  Dorothy  did  not  choose  to  no- 
tice. Instead  she  looked  straight  ahead — 
right  through  Biggs — at  the  buildings  and 
docks  of  Tidewater,  which  they  were  rapidly 
approaching. 

Biggs  regarded  her  silently  with  strong  dis- 
approval. He  could  not,  or  at  least  did  not, 
care  to  use  physical  force,  which  her  attitude 
seemed  to  demand.  She  had  a  defiant  grasp 
of  the  steering  wheel,  a  firm  hold  on  the  re- 
verse lever  and  a  touch-me-if-you-dare  look  on 
her  face.  This,  of  course,  was  childish  in  Dor- 
othy, but  she  was  not  very  old.  Biggs  w  as  not 
so  very  old  himself.  However,  he  was  old 
enough  in  experience  to  know  that  she  would 
certainly  scream  if  he  even  touched  her  hand, 
yet  she  would  secretly  despise  him  if  he  didn't 
do  something  to  assert  himself  and  regain  con- 
trol of  his  own  boat. 

Biggs  pondered  for  a  moment  and  then  be- 
thought himself  of  a  trick  which  he  hoped  the 
ingenious  and  romantic   professor   had    neg- 


188        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

lected  to  mention.  While  Dorothj^,  the  usurp- 
er, was  fussing  with  the  hairpin  which  she 
was  afraid  would  fall  out  and  thus  bring  de- 
feat, he  quickly  opened  a  hatch  in  the  small 
forward  deck,  reached  down  and  turned  the 
gasoline  off  at  the  tank.  What  was  left  in  the 
pipe  running  aft  to  the  engine  he  knew  would 
last  about  two  minutes  and  then,  hairpin  or  no 
hairpin,  the  fair  mutineer  would  be  undone. 
Quite  cheered  by  this  reflection  Biggs  refilled 
and  lit  his  pipe.  He  sat  down  and  gazed  at 
Dorothy  in  a  friendly  manner  for  a  moment 
until  another  thought  struck  him.  In  pur- 
suance of  this  he  quietly  and  rapidly  got  out 
his  fishing  tackle  and  some  clam  meat  which 
was  stowed  away  in  a  seat  locker,  baited  the 
hook  and  then  calculated  to  the  second  just 
when  Dorothy's  troubles  would  begin. 

"  Miss  Dorothy,"  he  said  in  a  matter-of-fact 
tone,  "  this  is  a  fine  place  to  fish.  Would  you 
mind  stopping  a  bit?"  But  the  captain  pro 
tern,  scorned  to  notice  him.  She  was  plan- 
ning to  make  a  landing  on  the  small  stretch  of 
beach  below  her  brother-in-law's  house,  get 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        189 

out  and  walk  home,  and  leave  Biggs  to  do  what 
he  hked  with  his  boat. 

"  Ahem ! "  coughed  Biggs.  "  Miss  De  Poe ! 
This  is  an  excellent  place  to  fish.  Would  you 
please  stop  the  boat  a  minute?" 

Just  then  the  carburetor  got  the  last  drop 
of  gasoline,  the  engine  gave  a  final  snort  and 
died. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Biggs,  just  as  though 
Dorothy  had  stopped  the  boat  on  his  account. 

Dorothy  did  not  say,  "Don't  mention  it, 
Mr.  Biggs,"  or  "You  are  welcome,  Mr. 
Biggs."  She  merely  looked  at  Biggs.  A 
deep  suspicion  came  over  her  that  she  had  been 
duped.  She  recalled  his  peculiar  and  hasty 
movements  at  the  forward  compartment.  She 
remembered  an  occasion  on  which  the  skil- 
ful Fairbanks  had  fussed  around  in  an  identi- 
cal fashion,  except  that  that  gentleman — she 
mentally  emphasised  "gentleman" — had  pro- 
nounced that  there  was  no  gasoline,  instead 
of  silently  sitting  down  to  fish.  She  looked 
at  Biggs  again,  but  his  back  was  turned.  He 
did  not  have  the  anxious  appearance  of  a  man 


190        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

whose  launch  was  drifting  to  sea  without  a 
drop  of  gasoline  aboard.  He  had  turned  it 
off,  she  was  sure.  She  reached  down  and 
tickled  the  carburetor.  It  tickled  all  right, 
but  the  cooling  flow  of  gasoline  down  the  little 
wire  and  along  one's  finger  that  invariably  ac- 
companies that  operation  did  not  materialise. 
The  carburetor  was  as  dry  as  a  bone! 

She  stared  at  Biggs  once  more,  then  turned 
her  back  and  gazed  stonily  across  the  widen- 
ing stretch  of  water  that  separated  her  from 
home.  Presently  she  heard  a  joyous  shout 
from  the  enemy.  Biggs  was  pulling  in  a 
flashing  perch.  "By  Jove!"  he  shouted. 
"Isn't  it  a  beauty?" 


CHAPTER  X 

Dorothy's  triumph 

Biggs  drew  in  a  second  flapping  fish  and 
slowly  took  the  hook  out  of  its  mouth.  But 
his  eyes  weren't  half  so  firmly  fixed  on  this 
task  as  his  manner  would  indicate.  He  was 
really  watching  Dorothy.  That  young  wo- 
man's calm  face  expressed  nothing  into  which 
Biggs  could  read  an  appreciation  of  the  situa- 
tion. He,  the  owner  of  the  launch,  had  as- 
serted his  authority  hy  the  gentle  means  of  a 
joke.  He  had  known  in  his  courteous  soul  that 
an  open  and  direct  rebuke  wouldn't  do.  So  he 
had  carefully  perpetrated  a  joke,  as  a  nice 
way  of  showing  her  that  her  place  wasn't  run- 
ning the  engine.  But — did  she  see  the  joke? 
Here  Biggs  jabbed  his  thumb  into  the  un- 
offending fish's  mouth  and  pulled  savagely  at 
the  hook.     A  jest  unseen  and  unappreciated 

191 


192        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

was  awful  to  contemplate.  If  Dorothy  hadn't 
perceived  the  humorous  intention  behind  his 
stopping  the  engine,  what  did  she  think?  He 
flung  the  perch  into  a  box  and  stared  at  her 
thoughtfully.  She  glanced  at  him  modestly, 
then  dropped  her  eyes.  It  was  perfectly  evi- 
dent that  she  didn't  see  the  joke.  Probably, 
thought  Biggs,  she  was  trying  to  discover  some 
explanation  for  his  absurd  behaviour,  and  the 
thought  that  his  guest  for  the  time  was  delving 
into  his  mental  process  made  a  vivid  flush  over- 
run Biggs's  countenance.  He  felt  almost  im- 
modest. He  bitterly  remembered  the  jibes 
cast  upon  the  British  nation  for  its  inability 
to  see  the  point  to  American  humour.  Now 
he  knew  how  a  race  feels  when  its  choicest 
jests  and  quips  are  received  with  a  blank  stare 
or  a  demure  meditativeness.  But  what  to  do? 
He  cast  his  bait  once  more. 

Meanwhile  Dorothy  maintained  an  attitude 
of  maidenly  expectancy,  dashed  with  bewil- 
derment and  a  slight  air  of  amazement  that 
Biggs  should  be  so  funnj^  She  knew  exactly 
what  had  happened  and  what  Biggs  hoped  to 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        19S 

gain  by  his  wdly  manoeuvre.  She  also  knew 
that  if  she  didn't  appear  to  see  any  humour  in 
it,  and  generally  conducted  herself  as  though 
she  were  surprised,  but  ready  to  expect  any- 
thing from  Mr.  Biggs  in  the  way  of  rudeness 
and  impoliteness,  that  he,  too,  would  fail  to 
discern  the  joke.  So  she  looked  simple  and 
girlish  and  demure  and  shy,  and  wondered  how 
he  would  extricate  himself. 

When  he  saw  that  he  must  take  the  initia- 
tive. Biggs  thought  of  at  least  ten  foolish 
things  he  could  say  and  a  dozen  silly  things  he 
might  do.  Wisdom,  however,  appeared  to 
have  fled.  He  could  not  think  of  a  thing  to 
say  that  wouldn't  give  the  whole  jeke 
to  the  dogs.  There  was  nothing  to  do 
but  surrender.  Possibly,  if  he  could  conjure 
up  the  right  idea,  this  capitulation  might  be 
made  with  some  of  the  honours  of  war.  He 
pondered  it,  careless  of  the  jerking  of  his  line 
while  a  perch  wondered  what  it  had  eaten  that 
took  so  long  to  swallow.  An  inspiration  ar- 
rived on  belated  wings. 

"I  think  you   must   have  had   enough   of 


194        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

this    fishing,    Miss   Dorothy,"    he    remarked. 
"Shan't  we  start  on?" 

She  looked  at  him  gravely.  "I  think  it 
would  be  best,"  was  her  reply.  "  You  see  I'm 
getting  chilly.  And  we're  drifting  with  the 
tide  towards  an  awfully  shallow  place,  aren't 


we 


Biggs  glanced  hastily  round  and  saw  a  few 
yards  off  a  perfect  jungle  of  weeds  that  lifted 
their  limp  heads  to  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  launch  was  drifting  straight  for  them. 
Visions  of  a  snagged  propeller  and  wading  to 
his  waist,  and  having  to  apologise  for  getting 
into  such  a  mess  swept  over  him.  He  jumped 
up  and  taking  the  engine  flywheel  in  his  hands 
twirled  it  over.     It  sighed  and  stopped. 

"  I  think "  began  Dorothy  and  then  was 

silent,  a  mere  wisp  of  a  smile  flitting  across  her 
lips. 

Biggs  flushed,  this  time  a  brick  red,  and  in 
complete  surrender  went  to  the  forward  com- 
partment and  turned  on  the  gasoline.  *'  I  for- 
got  "  he  stammered. 

But  Dorothy  refused  even  to  smile  at  him. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        195 

She  watched  him  tickle  the  carburetor  and 
start  the  engine.  As  the  launch  chugged  away 
from  the  weeds  she  reached  over  to  the  wheel 
and  brought  the  Spithead  swinging  round  on 
her  course  for  the  landing  at  Tidewater. 
"  Thank  you,"  said  the  humbled  Biggs. 

Presently  he  brightened  up.  "  I  forgot  we 
had  to  get  some  gasoline  for  Biddleson's  au- 
tomobile. I'll  get  a  can  of  it  in  town  and  we'll 
take  it  back  to  them." 

"  They'll  have  left  before  you  can  get  back," 
Dorothy  said  coldly. 

Biggs  fell  into  despondency  again  till  an- 
other thought  struck  him.  "But  I  thought 
you  said  they  couldn't  get  home  without  it!" 

"They  don't  know  that,"  Dorothy  ex- 
plained. "So  they'll  start  and  go  as  far  as 
they  can  and  then  they'll  stop.  You  see,  it's 
an  endurance  run  and  they  only  took  two  gal- 
lons along ;  they  want  to  find  out  how  far  that 
will  take  them." 

"Ha,  Ha!"  Biggs  remarked. 

"It's  exceedingly  funny,  isn't  it?"  Dorothy 
agreed  without  a  smile. 


196        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Biggs  subsided  once  more,  but  roused  him- 
self presently  and  asked  humbly,  "How  far 
do  you  think  they'll  get  before  they  stop  ? " 

"They  might  get  back  as  far  as  Salmon 
Point  Hill,"  was  the  indifferent  response. 

"Then,"  said  Biggs  triumphantly,  "we'll 
get  the  gasoline  and  meet  them  there.  That'll 
be  a  great  joke!" 

"  I  hope  it  will  be  a  successful  one,"  Dorothy 
commented  with  gentle  sarcasm.  "So  many 
jokes  are  stupid,  you  know!" 

"  Ah,  er — so  they  are,  don't  you  know,"  was 
the  crestfallen  Biggs's  reply.  Later  he 
changed  the  subject  skilfully.  "Er — do  you 
like  launching  or  automobiling  best,  Miss  Dor- 
othy?" 

Dorothy  answered  this  very  carefully,  out- 
wardly languid  however.  "I  really  don't 
know!  It  depends  on  who  is  with  me.  I  did 
enjoy  the  ride  this  morning  so  much.  I  like 
Mr.  Harkaway.  Don't  you?  He's  so  inter- 
esting and  he  makes  one  feel  so  comfortable. 
Besides,  he  takes  everything  nicely  and  looks 
after  one  so.     I  think  comfort  is  everything, 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        197 

don't  you,  Mr.  Biggs?  You  know  what  I 
mean — ^being  sure  that  nobody  is  going  to  do 
the  wrong  thing." 

"Oh,  ah,  yes,  of  course,"  he  mumbled. 
Then,  "I'm  glad  you  won't  have  the  discom- 
fort of  sitting  in  that  bally  motor  waiting  for 
gasoline,  Miss  Dorothy." 

She  relented  and  smiled.  "Are  you  sure 
we  can  get  some? "  she  inquired.  "  You  know 
this  is  Sunday  and  nobody  is  in  the  shops." 

"Trust  me,"  said  Biggs  nobly.  "If  I 
can't  get  it  anywhere  else  I'll  go  and  get  some 
at  Mrs.  Thompson's.  She  always  has  plenty, 
I'm  sure — big  tank  in  the  garage." 

"Oh,  would  you  really  go  and  steal  it?" 
Dorothy  exclaimed  with  a  ravishing  smile. 
"What  fun!" 

"  No,  not  steal  it,  exactly,"  said  Biggs  has- 
tily. "  That  would  be  quite  unnecessary.  I'll 
ask  for  some  and  then  Biddleson  can  return 
it  to-morrow." 

Dorothy's  smile  vanished.  "I'm  so  sorry. 
I'd  hoped  for  a  minute  that  we  were  going  to 
have  some  fun.     It  would  be  so  amusing  to 


198        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

see  an  Englishman  stealing  gasoline  on  Sun- 
day!" 

Biggs  seemed  to  think  this  sort  of  conver- 
sation was  dangerous,  and  he  remarked  that 
if  they  landed  near  the  steamer  wharf  it  would 
be  more  convenient  to  the  stores.  Dorothy  ac- 
cepted this  suggestion  and  five  minutes  later 
swung  the  launch  up  under  the  dripping  piles 
in  seamanlike  fashion.  Biggs  made  the 
painter  fast  and  then  said  politely,  "If  you 
don't  mind  waiting  just  a  moment,  I'll  fetch 
the  gasoline  directly." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mind,"  Dorothy  returned. 
"But  I  don't  dare  to  think  of  Miriam  sitting 
in  that  automobile  all  night  making  sugges- 
tions while  Rae  tries  to  make  the  engine  go 
with  a  monkey  wrench.     So  please  hurry!" 

Biggs  nodded  reassuringly,  scrambled  up  to 
the  wharf  and  disappeared.  While  he  was 
gone  Dorothy  extracted  the  hairpin  from  the 
battery  switch  and  thoughtfully  thi'ust  it  back 
into  her  hair.     Then  she  smiled  to  herself. 

In  ten  minutes  Biggs  was  back,  looking  over 
the  edge  of  the  wharf.     "  Every  shop  in  town 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        199 

is  shut  up  and  I  can't  find  any  of  the  shopkeep- 
ers," he  said  miserably. 

"  Then  you'll  have  to  go  and  get  some  from 
Mrs.  Thompson,"  was  Dorothy's  prompt  an- 
swer. 

"But  I  saj'-,  she's  gone,  too!"  said  the 
wretched  Biggs.  "  I  telephoned,  and  nobody 
answered." 

"You  said  you'd  go,"  Dorothy  protested. 
"Even  if  you  had  to  steal  it!" 

Biggs  shook  his  head.  "That  was  a  joke," 
he  murmured  feebly. 

Dorothy  set  her  lips  firmly.  "We  must 
have  that  gasoline,  even  if  you  have  to  steal 
it.  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  Miriam  sitting 
over  there  in  that  wretched  car  all  night.  If 
you  won't  get  it,  I  shall!     So  there!" 

"  Then,"  said  Biggs,  just  as  firmly,  "  we  will 
go  to  Mrs.  Thompson's."  He  got  down  into 
the  boat  and  with  great  dignity  said  to  Dor- 
othy, "You  will  allow  me,  Miss  De  Poe?" 
Miss  De  Poe  relinquished  her  place  by  the 
engine;  Biggs  thrust  the  brass  plug  into  the 
hole  and  started  the  engine. 


200        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Biggs  at  the  wheel,  looking  as  nearly  like 
Fairbanks  as  he  could,  and  doing  it  pretty  well 
considering  he  had  never  seen  him,  they  steered 
straight  for  the  tremendously  expensive — "  It 
cost  a  whole  fifty  thousand,"  Mrs.  Thompson 
was  fond  of  telling — stone  pier  that  jutted  out 
into  Marie  Jean  Bay  at  the  Thompson  resi- 
dential fortifications. 

Devonshire  Hall  looked  even  more  pic- 
turesquely bizarre  from  the  water  front  than 
it  did  from  the  rear.  Its  battlemented  cedar 
shingle  walls  frowned  down  on  an  elaborate 
plantation  of  rose  bushes.  Carefully  installed 
on  solid  masonry,  north  of  the  summer  house, 
where  the  sun  never  shone  on  it,  was  an  exceed- 
ingly scientific  and  costly  sun-dial.  Mrs. 
Thompson  had  insisted  on  having  it  placed  ex- 
actly where  it  was  because  it  was  more  con- 
spicuously visible  there  when  strangers  and 
visitors  drove  across  the  drawbridge  and  en- 
tered the  grounds.  Three  lofty  -vvind  mills 
with  the  manufacturer's  name  painted  in  big, 
black  letters  on  both  sides  of  the  rudder  reared 
their  whirling  heads  in  different  parts  of  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        201 

yard.  Every  time  Harkaway  passed  Devon- 
shire Hall  and  had  it  thrust  on  his  attention 
thrice  conspicuously  that  Jimcrack  &  Co.  were 
the  makers  of  these  wind  mills  he  thought  what 
a  splendid  advertisement  it  was  for  Jimcrack 
&  Co.  He  had  had  some  idea  of  offering 
Thompson  ten  dollars  a  month  for  the  privi- 
lege of  erasing  Jimcrack  &  Co's.  name  and 
painting  on  them  his  own  advertisement :  "  See 
Harka way's  Addition  Before  You  Buy." 
But  he  had  never  got  around  to  it. 

Undeterred  by  the  pretentious  architectural 
features  of  the  Thompson  place  Biggs  brought 
the  S pithead  swiftly  and  gracefully  up  against 
the  stone  pier  on  the  down-stream  side,  deftly 
threw  a  line  ashore,  jumped  out  after  it  and 
fastened  it  to  a  cleat.  With  Dorothy,  who 
thought  she  would  like  to  go  along,  he  strode 
determinedly  toward  the  garage. 

The  garage  was  a  new  structure  of  the 
Spanish  Mission  style  of  architecture,  built  of 
cement  blocks.  It  harmonised  perfectly  with 
the  general  incongruity  which  characterised 
the  whole  place,  and  only  lacked  a  cupola  and 


202        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

a  bell  to  make  it  look  like  a  church.  Biggs 
recognised  it  as  the  garage  by  the  trail  of 
lubricating  oil  leading  up  to  it,  across  the  ce- 
ment roadway.  They  went  in  the  open  door. 
Biggs  stamping  loudly  to  attract  attention. 
No  one  appeared  in  answer  to  this  summons. 
All  was  silent,  clean  and  orderly.  Here 
was  an  electric  coupe  for  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son's own  private  use.  She  had  never  used  it, 
because  she  could  never  remember  which  way 
to  shove  the  tiller-like  steering  handle  when 
she  wanted  to  go  around  a  corner.  It  had  been 
carefull}^  and  repeatedly  explained  to  her  that 
when  she  wanted  to  go  north  she  must  push 
the  handle  south,  and  vice-versa;  also  vice- 
versa  as  regards  east  and  west.  She  was  sure 
the  large  dials  of  the  ammeter  and  voltmeter 
were  a  compass  and  steam  gauge,  and  refused 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  Anyway,  the 
electric  lacked  the  power  to  go  up  the  hill  ap- 
proaching the  Thompson  residence  (it  was 
towed  up  the  day  they  got  it)  which  prevented 
anyone  else  from  using  it;  so  it  stood  immac- 
ulately clean  and  styhsh  near  the  door,  as  ex- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        203 

pensive  in  appearance  and  as  useful  as  the  sun- 
dial over  in  the  shade  by  the  summer  house. 
In  a  dark  corner,  where  no  one  would  ever 
think  of  looking  for  anything,  was  a  maroon- 
coloured,  one-cylinder  car  as  disreputable  and 
ancient  in  looks  as  it  was  powerful  and  steady 
in  action.  OMrs.  Thompson  had  acquired  a 
complete  forgetfulness  of  that  vehicle,  though 
she  sometimes  spoke  vaguely  of  their  "  First 
car."  It  was  used  on  dark  nights  to  send 
Mrs.  Thompson's  poor  relations  home  when 
they  stayed  to  dinner;  and  occasionally  Mc- 
Lean, the  engineer,  had  it  out  for  a  *'  joy  ride." 
McL/ean's  joy  rides  consisted  of  a  trip  to  the 
Half-Way  House  on  the  road  to  Tidewater, 
and  an  immediate  return  with  a  good  sized  box 
containing  mysterious  objects  packed  in  straw. 
They  may  have  been  eggs,  or  electric  light 
bulbs,  or  they  may  have  been  cans  of  lubricat- 
ing oil.  However  that  might  be,  each  of  Mc- 
Lean's joy  rides  (almost  invariably  a  Satur- 
day night  affair)  was  followed  next  day  by 
strange  and  gloomy  actions  on  his  part.  Pe- 
culiar and  unexplainable  accidents  occurred 


204        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

to  the  mechanical  arrangements  of  which  he 
was  the  presiding  genius.  He  became  in- 
tensely religious  and  morose — ^religious  as  be- 
fitting the  day,  and  morose  as  befitting  the 
temperament  of  a  Scot  on  a  Sabbath  morn- 
ing. No  compatriot  of  his  in  his  native 
town  across  the  Sea,  wending  his  way  sternly 
and  undeviatingly  along  the  streets  of  Dun- 
dee, helped  onward  to  his  salvation  by  the 
hopeful  ringings  of  some  church  bells,  or  im- 
pelled towards  his  doom  by  the  harsh  jangling 
of  others,  could  feel  the  need  of  spiritual  up- 
lifting, or  have  a  more  sepulchral  taste  in  his 
mouth  than  did  McLean  the  day  that  Biggs 
and  Dorothy  came  to  Devonshire  Hall  for 
gasoline. 

Biggs  stamped  around  some  more,  without 
rousing  anyone.  The  big  red  touring  car  was 
out,  very  hkely  with  Henri  at  the  wheel.  An 
empty  can  and  the  gasoline  pump  stood  tempt- 
ingly by.  After  a  final  stamp  and  a  noisy  rat- 
tle of  the  can  Biggs  approached  the  pump, 
picking  up  the  five  gallon  can.     "Really,  I 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        205 

think  I'll  draw  this  full  and  leave  a  note  of 
explanation,"  he  mentioned  to  Dorothy. 

"We  must  have  that  gasoline,"  she  re- 
turned, and  Biggs  under  her  radiant  smile 
proceeded  to  fill  the  can  full. 

"  Now  I'll  leave  a  note,"  he  said. 

Before  he  could  even  find  a  pencil,  much  less 
write  the  note  or  escape  with  the  gasoline,  a 
tall,  lanky  form  surmounted  by  a  mat  of  red 
hair  rose  from  the  depths  of  the  one-cylinder 
car  in  the  corner.  This  apparition,  seemingly 
erecting  itself  as  if  from  behind  a  boulder  in 
a  wild,  desolate  pass  in  the  Scottish  High- 
lands, glared  at  Biggs  with  eyes  inflamed  and 
red.  In  lieu  of  a  claymore  he  had  in  hand  an 
open  Bible ;  a  grimy  finger  marked  a  favourite 
passage  in  Ezekiel:  "I  made  the  nations  to 
shake  at  the  sound  of  his  fall,  when  I  cast  him 
down  to  hell  with  them  that  descend  into  the 
Pit:  and  all  the  trees  of  Eden,  the  choice  and 
best  of  Lebanon,  all  that  drink  water,  shall  be 
comforted  in  the  nether  parts  of  the  earth." 

This  verse,  particularly  the  allusion  to  the 


206        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

drinking  of  water,  was  to  McLean  one  of  sin- 
gular and  appropriate  helpfulness.  All  around 
it,  the  page  was  dark  and  greasy  with  count- 
less thumbings  on  similar  occasions.  The 
words  of  the  verse  itself  were  almost  illegible 
from  the  emphasis  laid  upon  them  in  hours  of 
agony  and  remorse.  Just  as  Biggs  was  about 
to  escape  with  his  plunder,  McLean  broke  his 
formidable  silence.  The  words  of  themselves 
conveyed  nothing  of  the  suspicion  and  deadly 
insult  that  the  Scot's  manner  and  intonation 
put  into  them. 

"  Na,  na,  Meester  Biggs,"  he  said.  "  You'll 
no  be  gaein'  awa'  wi'  the  gasoline  sae  sune, 
A'm  thinkin'." 

"Why,  McLean!"  said  Biggs  in  surprise. 
"I  didn't  know  you  were  here." 

"  Ay,  but  I  am  here;  and  here  I'm  intendin' 
to  stay,  so  put  doon  the  gasoline,  Meester 
Biggs." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Biggs  haughtily,  putting  the 
can  down,  "that  you  don't  think  I  intended 
to  steal  it?" 

"  Na,  na,  Meester  Biggs,  I  ken  weel  eneuch 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        207 

ye  wadna  steal  it,  but  I  didna  hear  ye  say  'at 
Mrs.  Thampson  sent  ye  for  't." 

"  No,"  said  Biggs  coldly,  "  Mrs.  Thompson 
didn't  send  me  for  it.  I  came  for  it.  As  there 
was  no  one  about,  I  helped  myself.  I'll  leave 
a  note  for  Mrs.  Thompson  and  pay  for  it  to- 
morrow." 

"Ay,  but  perhaps  ye  wudna  think  to  pay 
for't  i'  th'  morrow." 

"Look  here,  my  good   fellow "   began 

Biggs  angrily. 

"  Dinna  ye  ca'  me  a  guid  fellow,"  said  Mc- 
Lean as  he  advanced  upon  Biggs  in  a  threat- 
ening manner.  "Ye  needna  haver  wi'  me. 
Juist  tak'  yourself  awa'!  I  dinna  like  the 
looks  o'  your  face.  Gin  it  werena  the  Sab- 
bath day,  I'd  bash  it  in  for  ye." 

Biggs  was  no  coward,  far  from  it;  but  gas- 
oline was  what  he  had  come  for  and  gasoline 
was  what  he  was  going  to  have,  not  the  glory 
of  a  hard-won  fight,  nor  the  bruises  and  gore 
of  an  honourable  defeat.  Nevertheless,  Biggs 
stood  his  ground.  Outwardly  he  was  calm;  in- 
wardly he  was  boiling  with  rage. 


208        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  said  with  cold  emphasis, 
"that  it  is  Sunday." 

Here  was  an  opening  that  filled  the  valiant 
Scot  with  joy.  "Is  it  a  fecht  ye  want?"  he 
demanded,  a  glad  light  coming  over  his  face. 
In  imagination  the  Celt  could  see  a  despised 
Southron  grovelling,  not  in  the  dirt,  hut  in  a 
puddle  of  oil  on  the  garage  floor  with  an 
empty  gasoline  can  jammed  over  his  head  by 
way  of  decoration.  Although  McLean  was  a 
hard  man,  he  liked  to  give  his  conquests  an 
artistically  humorous  finish.  "  Is  it  a  fecht  ye 
want?"  he  demanded  again,  fearful  that  pres- 
ently Biggs  would  cease  to  he  sorry  that  it  mas 
Sunday  and  thus  deprive  him  (McLean)  of 
a  fitting  casus  belli.  "Dinna  ye  think  I'm 
scairt  at  ye!"  He  reverently  closed  the  Bi- 
ble, carefully  placed  it  on  the  seat  of  the  elec- 
tric so  that  the  Holy  Word  could  not  be  dam- 
aged in  the  coming  fray,  and  said,  "I'm 
your  man,  gin  it's  a  fecht  ye  want.  The  Lord 
forgi'e  me,  but  they  say  the  better  the  day 
the  better  the  deed,  so  put  up  j'-our  ban's  an' 
I'll  gie  ye  th'  worst  lickin'  any  Englishman's 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        209 

had  syne  th'  days  o'  Bannockburn!"  With 
the  blood  of  twenty  generations  of  quarrel- 
some ancestry  bubbling  to  the  surface,  Mc- 
Lean stood  fiercely  anxious,  waiting  for  the 
enemy  to  proceed  with  his  "fecht." 

Biggs  was  pale,  but  not  from  fear.  In  a 
suppressed  tone,  his  hands  tightly  clenched, 
his  blood  boiling  as  fiercely  as  that  of  any  of 
McLean's  ^\dld,  marauding  forefathers  could 
have  boiled  in  the  days  of  old,  he  said  as  calmly 
as  he  could,  "  You  forget  that  there  is  a  lady 
present.     Restrain  yourself,  McLean." 

"  Oh,  ay,  I  forgot,"  said  McLean,  relaxing 
his  hostile  tenseness.  "But,"  he  said  by  way 
of  extenuation  of  his  own  inconsiderate  con- 
duct, *'  ye  forgot  yoursel',  Meester  Biggs, 
standin'  there  wi'  your  ban's  clenched  a'ready 
for  a  fecht.  I  beg  the  bonnie  lassie's  pardon. 
Ye  may  hae  th'  gasoline,  but  ye'U  be  comin' 
around  th'  Saturday  nicht,  an  we'll  settle  this 
little  deef-ference  of  o-peen-ion.  Awa'  wi'  ye 
before  I  forget  'at  th'  lassie's  here,  an  I  hit 
ye!" 

But  the  bonnie  lassie  was  not  there !     Either 


210        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

to  escape  the  horrors  of  battle,  or  to  save  the 
day  and  the  gasoline,  Dorothy  was  more 
than  half  way  to  the  boat,  half  running,  half 
stumbling  in  a  lop-sided  manner,  weighted 
down  with  the  five  gallons  of  precious  fluid. 

"Oho!"  exclaimed  McLean,  a  genial  smile 
chasing  away  his  sour  looks  and  removing  the 
last  trace  of  hostility  with  which  he  had 
greeted  them  as  he  saw  Dorothy  escaping. 
"  Yon's  a  braw  lassie,  Meester  Biggs,  an'  I 
wish  ye  luck.  Run  along.  Biggs,  my  guid 
friend,  and  dinna  ye  forget  th'  Saturday  nicht! 
But  man,"  he  continued,  as  he  surveyed 
Biggs's  stalwart  form  with  approval,  "  I  be- 
lieve ye  cud  mak*  a  bonnie  fecht."  A  look  of 
deep  disappointment  came  over  his  face  as  he 
remembered  the  great  joys  he  had  foregone. 
"Any  Saturday  will  dae,  Meester  Biggs. 
Gie  me  your  han'  on  it." 

Biggs  and  McLean  shook  hands  solemnl5% 
and  the  former  hurried  after  Dorothy.  With 
the  five  gallons  of  gasoline  in  a  safe  place  so 
that  it  would  not  fall  overboard,  the  Spithead 
coughed  her  way  triumphantly  across  Marie 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        211 

Jean  Bay,  along  the  water  front  of  Tide- 
water and  across  Ferdinand  Arm.  Skirting 
the  shore  so  that  he  would  not  miss  the  picnic 
party  in  the  auto,  which  he  knew  was  stalled 
somewhere  on  the  way  back  to  town.  Biggs 
rounded  Salmon  Point.  Just  at  the  bottom 
of  Salmon  Point  Hill  on  the  far  side,  Dorothy 
discerned  her  sister  sitting  on  the  grassy  bank 
where  she  had  sat  the  day  before.  Although 
the  sun  had  set,  Miriam  held  her  parasol  open 
over  her  head,  a  far-away  look  on  her  face,  as 
though  it  had  been  ages  ago  since  yesterday 
and  would  be  ages  again  before  she  would  see 
her  home  and  fireside. 

Harkaway  was  seated  on  a  rock  by  the 
water's  edge  looking  as  if  he  expected  some- 
one. When  the  Spithead  rounded  the  point, 
he  was  in  the  act  of  lighting  a  large  fat  cigar, 
as  though  to  fortify  himself  for  a  stiU  more 
protracted  wait. 

Biddleson,  of  course,  was  on  his  back  under 
the  Durable,  messing  around  with  a  screw 
driver,  trying  to  find  out  why  they  were  stay- 
ing where  they  were. 


212        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

When  the  Spithead  ran  in  to  shore,  Hark- 
away  rose  to  meet  it.  He  held  out  his  hand 
in  an  expectant  manner  and  took  the  five  gal- 
lon can  that  Biggs  handed  to  him.  "  Thanks, 
old  man,"  he  said.  "  I  thought  you  would 
come,  but  I  didn't  expect  you  so  soon."  Rais- 
ing his  cap  cheerfully  and  pohtely  to  Dorothy, 
he  went  up  to  the  road  with  the  gasoline,  while 
the  launch  backed  her  way  out  and  was  soon 
speeding  home. 


CHAPTER  XI 

DOROTHY   EXPLAINS 

Biggs  helped  Dorothy  up  a  slippery  plank 
to  the  wharf.  On  the  hill  the  church  bell  was 
ringing  for  the  eight  o'clock  service.  "I  did 
intend  to  be  at  service  to-night,"  Dorothy  said 
repentantly.  "But  I  can't  possibly  go  in 
these  clothes,  so  I'll  go  home  and  fix  supper. 
Won't  you  come  up  and  have  supper  with  us, 
Mr.  Biggs?  Put  your  launch  away  and  come 
up." 

Biggs  took  off  his  cap.  "I'm  very  sorry, 
thank  you,"  he  replied  finally,  "but  I've  got 
to  go  and  check  up  the  first  freight  for  the 
early  train  in  the  morning.'^ — 

"  You've  been  awfully  good,"  Dorothy  went 
on,  holding  out  a  slim  hand  to  him.  "  I'm  sure 
Miriam  will  want  to  thank  you  herself."  She 
departed,  leaving  Biggs  with  a  strong  impres- 

213 


214        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

sion  that  he  had  been  gloriously  forgiven  for 
having  been  a  dunce. 

It  was  precisely  nine  o'clock  when  the  Dur- 
able chugged  its  slow  way  up  the  hill,  and 
stopped  before  the  Biddleson  cottage.  Hark- 
away  shut  off  the  engine  and  watched  Biddle- 
son help  Miriam  down.  "  I  wonder  why  Dor- 
othy lit  so  many  lights,'*  was  that  weary  ma- 
tron's first  remark  when  she  felt  herself  on  her 
own  solid  door  step. 

Before  either  of  the  men  could  offer  an  an- 
swer Dorothy  herself  appeared  at  the  top  of 
the  steps  and  called  down  brightly,  "  Come  on 
in,  good  people.     Supper  is  ready!" 

*'  Fine ! "  said  Biddleson  promptly.  "  Come 
on,  Hark,  drop  that  blessed  steering  handle, 
and  wake  up.  Don't  you  hear  Dorothy  call- 
ing?" 

"Of  course,"  said  Miriam  pleasantly.  "I 
won't  hear  of  your  going  down  towa  without 
supper,  Mr.  Harkaway." 

With  due  gratitude  and  expressions  thereof, 
Harkaway  climbed  out  of  the  motor  and 
joined  his  hosts  in  the  front  hall,  where  Dor- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        215 

othy  beamed  on  them  over  a  charming  white 
apron,  "  I  made  Mr.  Biggs  simply  race  home 
so  that  I  would  be  in  time  to  get  you  some- 
thing to  eat,"  she  told  them.  "But  he 
wouldn't  come  up  and  help  me  get  it ! " 

"I  hope  you  didn't  ask  him,  after  all  his 
performances  to-day,"  said  Mrs.  Biddleson  se- 
verely. 

*'  Oh,  but  I  did,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  simply 
begged  him,  but  the  horrid  thing  had  some 
freight  to  pack  up,  or  something  of  that  sort." 

Biddleson  and  Harkaway  feigned  not  to 
observe  Miriam's  lifted  eyebrows,  but  went  into 
the  dining-room  with  all  alacrity.  In  three 
minutes  peace  was  assured  and  Biddleson  was 
enlarging  on  the  excellence  of  the  Durable  on 
hills. 

Harkaway  agreed  that  their  purchase  had 
done  well  so  far  as  climbing  grades  was  con- 
cerned. "But  we'll  have  to  revise  our  esti- 
mates on  gasoline,"  he  said. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  ever  came  to  make 
such  a  mistake,"  Miriam  commented. 

"  But  Miss  Dorothy  seemed  to  find  out  be- 


216        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

fore  we  did,  that  we  were  out  of  gasoline," 
said  Harkaway  with  a  glance  towards  the 
young  woman  who  sat  pouring  tea. 

Dorothy  dimpled  into  a  ladylike  grin,  but 
made  no  answer. 

"If  it  hadn't  been  for  you  and  Biggs," 
Harkaway  went  on,  addressing  her,  "we'd 
have  been  there  yet — or  walking  home." 

"  Horrors ! "  Miriam  breathed  at  thought  of 
this.  Then  she  bent  her  pretty  eyes  on  her 
sister.  "  Is  that  what  you  and  Mr.  Biggs  went 
for  in  the  launch — or  did  you  see  us  stuck  on 
the  hill  and  then  think  of  it?" 

Dorothy  still  refused  to  answer,  but  Rae 
snorted  defence  of  her.  "  They  didn't  have 
time  to  see  us  and  then  go  and  get  gasoline. 
We  weren't  there  twenty  minutes  before  the 
launch  came.  Of  course  they  knew  it  all  the 
time." 

"  Then  all  I  can  say  is  that  Mr.  Biggs  was 
very  impolite,"  Miriam  pouted. 

"  But  he  did  his  best,"  her  husband  said 
wonderingly.     "AVhat  more  do  you  expect?" 

"  Why  didn't  he  tell  us  we  didn't  have  gas- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        217 

oline  enough  in  the  first  place?"  she  de- 
manded. 

Harkaway  murmured  something  ahout  Mr. 
Biggs's  natural  modesty.  "Biggs  is  a  sly 
chap,"  he  continued  thoughtfully,  "but  I  am 
sure  it  was  Dorothy  who  discovered  that  we 
didn't  have  gasoline  enough,  and  who  per- 
suaded Mr.  Biggs  to  come  back  to  town  and 
get  some." 

"  And  what  a  time  we  did  have  getting  it !  " 
Dorothy  burst  out.  "I  thought  at  first  we'd 
have  to  steal  it." 

"  Steal  it !  "  exclaimed  Miriam,  aghast. 

"  Yes,"  Dorothy  said  mahciously.  "  I  dared 
him  to  do  it." 

"I  don't  see "   Biddleson   began,    and 

then  finished,  "Where  did  you  get  the  gaso- 
Hne?" 

"At  Mrs.  Thompson's!"  This  reply  was 
followed  by  a  strong  silence.  Harkaway 
seemed  on  the  point  of  choking  and  Biddleson 
steadfastly  refused  to  meet  his  wife's  eyes. 
Dorothy  passed  the  cakes,  set  the  plate  down 
and  leaned  her  elbows  on  the  cloth.     "  It  was 


218        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

too  funny  for  anjrthing,"  she  went  on,  more 
demurely.     "  You  see  he  was  drunk " 

"Who  was  drunk?"  inquired  Miriam  in  an 
awful  voice. 

"And  we  were  so  afraid  Mrs.  Thompson 
would  come  and  we  wouldn't  be  able  to  ex- 
plain," continued  Dorothy,  ignoring  her  sis- 
ter, "  and  between  pumping  the  oil  out  of  the 
big  tank  into  the  can,  and  wondering  what 
Mrs.  Thompson  would  say  if  she  did  come  and 
whether  she  would  blame  Mr.  Biggs  for  it,  or 
me,  I  nearly  died.     Then  I  had  to  run  for  it! " 

"Ha  HA!  Ha  HA!"  Biddleson  laughed 
loudly,-  choking  himself  off  at  the  end  in  a 
vahant  attempt  to  display  an  unmirthful. 
Sabbath  countenance.  His  wife  rose  majes- 
tically. "  I  think  that  I  am  glad  Mr.  Biggs 
is  not  here,"  she  announced.  "  Otherwise  I 
am  afraid  I  should  have  to  express  to  him 
what  my  real  opinion  of  him  is." 

"It  was  the  engineer — that  Scotchman — 
who  was  drunk  and  made  all  the  trouble," 
Dorothy  remarked,  apparently  thinking  that 
her  sister  had  supposed  that  it  was  Mr.  Biggs. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        219 

"  Oh,  Biggs  isn't  such  a  bad  fellow! "  Hark- 
away  said  weakly. 

"I  think  he's  just  fine!"  Dorothy  asserted. 
"If  it  hadn't  been  for  him  you'd  have  been 
stuck  up  on  that  old  road  all  night.  And  he 
hated  to  do  it,  let  me  tell  you !  He  seemed  to 
think  that  I'd  never  be  able  to  look  Mrs. 
Thompson  in  the  face!" 

Biddleson  showed  active  worry.  "Look 
here,  Dollie,  just  what  did  you  do?" 

"Why,  we  got  you  some  gasoline,"  she  re- 
plied, much  aggrieved.  "  You  had  to  have  it, 
and  all  the  stores  were  closed  and  so  Mr. 
Biggs  and  I  went  up  to  Mrs.  Thompson's  gar- 
age to  see  whether  we  couldn't  borrow  some 
from  her." 

Miriam  walked  away  from  the  table,  and 
Harkaway  assumed  an  air  of  great  anxiety, 
seeming  delicately  to  express  a  sense  that  his 
own  social  standing  had  been  in  some  way 
compromised.  Dorothy  continued  her  narra- 
tive: "And  we  couldn't  find  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son nor  Mr.  Thompson  nor  the  chauffeur,  so 
I  dared  Mr.  Biggs  to  go  in  and  steal  some. 


220        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

And  he  was  trjdng  to,  when  the  engineer 
caught  us,  and  he  was  drunk  and  made  an 
awful  fuss,  and  Mr.  Biggs  was  going  to  hit 
him  but  didn't,  and  when  we  got  the  can  full  I 
just  hustled  to  the  launch  with  it,  let  me  tell 

you!" 

"Then  you  didn't  see  Mrs.  Thompson?" 
said  Harkaway,  pretending  to  be  vastly  re- 
lieved. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Dorothy  simply.  "I  saw 
her  coming  just  as  we  were  leaving  in  the 
launch,  but  we  didn't  wait  to  explain.  You 
see,  the  engineer  was  so  impolite!" 

"  Ha  HA! "  Biddleson  broke  out  again. 
And  Harkaway  joined  him,  thinking  to  him- 
self that  for  once  Biggs  had  had  an  opportu- 
nity which  he,  Harkaway,  was  glad  to  have 
escaped.  Because  of  this  he  warmly  defended 
Biggs  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  had 
he  been  in  Biggs's  place  he  would  have  funked 
the  whole  business.  "  And,  in  that  case,  j^ou'd 
be  sitting  in  the  automobile  yet,"  he  concluded. 

"  Well,  I  certainly  shall  never  try  to  explain 
to  Mrs.  Thompson,"  said  Miriam  emphatically. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        2^1 

"But  you'll  have  to!"  Dorothy  returned 
with  a  smile.  "I  promised  Mr.  Biggs  faith- 
fully that  you'd  go  over  and  explain  it  all  to- 
morrow." 

"Never!" 

"  Oh,  come  now,  Miriam,"  put  in  her  hus- 
band. 

"  Mrs.  Thompson  will  think  it's  all  a  joke," 
iHarkaway  offered  peaceably. 

"It  is  a  joke,"  Dorothy  pouted.  "And  if 
you  people  are  going  to  be  so  horrid  about  it 
I'll  never  again,  never,  save  you  from  staying 
out  all  night." 

"  You'll  never  have  the  chance,"  said  her  sis- 
ter acidly.  "  I  intend  to  see  that  you  don't 
disgrace  us  any  more  while  you're  here.  The 
idea — stealing  into  people's  garages  with  that 
Biggs  man." 

"  He  didn't  want  to  go,  Miriam,"  Dorothy 
protested  and  seemed  astonished  when  this  re- 
mark didn't  reinstate  Biggs.  At  this  point 
Harkaway  tactfully  opined  that  he  must  take 
the  machine  to  its  garage  down  town,  and  of- 
fered   good   nights    to    everybody.     Miriam 


222        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

beamed  on  him  at  parting  and  Dorothy  shook 
hands  with  gentle  resignation.  "  I  know  you 
think  I'm  horrid,"  she  said.  "  But  Mr.  Biggs 
is  so  interesting!" 

When  Harkaway  had  left  the  room,  accom- 
panied by  Biddleson,  Miriam  turned  her  full 
gaze  on  her  sister,  a  gaze  mingled  of  amaze- 
ment, reproach,  rebuke  and  anger.  "  It's  evi- 
dent that  college  life  has  spoiled  your  man- 
ners," she  coldly  remarked. 

"I  learned  something  about  gasoline  en- 
gines, they  are  a  lot  more  use  than  manners 
nowadays,"  was  the  defiant  retort. 

"  I'm  astonished  at  you,"  Miriam  pursued 
evenly.  "When  I  was  your  age  girls  didn't 
think  about  such  things ! " 

"Because  there  weren't  any  such  things," 
Dorothy  said  saucily.  "  Remember  you're  al- 
most middle  aged." 

"And  a  young  woman  knew  how  to  con- 
duct herself  properly  with  young  men,"  said 
Miriam,  scorning  to  notice  this  rude  remark. 
"I  suppose  from  your  behaviour  to-day  that 
you  must  have  made  a  perfect  guy  of  yourself 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        223 

in  college.  Did  you  learn,  may  I  ask,  to  de- 
sert your  guests  and  break  into  people's  places 
and  steal,  at  college?  Was  it  there  that  you 
learned  to  run  off  from  your  own  picnic  with 
a  strange  man?" 

"I  shouldn't  call  Mr.  Fairbanks  a  strange 
man,"  Dorothy  murmured. 

"  Fairbanks ! "  echoed  her  sister,  sitting  down 
wearily.  "Who  was  this  Fairbanks?  Some 
ruffian,  I  suppose!" 

"  He  is  an  engineer,"  Dorothy  explained, 
flushing. 

Mrs.  Biddleson's  expression  was  one  of  re- 
newed horror.  "Dorothy  de  Poe!  Do  you 
mean  to  say  that  you  actually  knew  an  en- 
gineer! a  man  in  overalls  and  a  greasy  cap! 
Whj'-  did  I  ever  allow  you  out  of  my  sight? 
This  is  awful!" 

"Mr.  Fairbanks  doesn't  wear  overalls,  at 
all!  He's  an  instructor  in  the  university  and 
one  of  the  most  popular  men  there,"  Dorothy 
repHed  warmly.  "He  knows  all  sorts  of 
things  no  one  else  ever  heard  of  and  he  had  a 
launch  on  the  lake  and  an  auto,  and  he  and 


224        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

his  sisters  were  as  nice  to  me  as  they  could  be. 
They're  somebody,  too,  let  me  tell  you!" 

"I  should  like  to  see  this  Mr.  Fairbanks," 
Miriam  retorted  witheringly. 

A  sudden  gleam  of  mischief  came  into  Dor- 
othy's eyes  and  she  said  quietly,  "Well,  you 
will  see  him  no  later  than  next  week !  I  wrote 
and  invited  him  to  come  and  visit  us  for  a 
month,  as  he  is  making  a  trip  of  the  West  any- 
way." 

Her  sister  rose  hastily  and  walked  towards 
Dorothy.  "Is  it  possible — do  you  mean  to 
tell  me "  she  stammered. 

Dorothy  was  frightened  for  the  moment.  It 
occurred  to  her  that  her  rashly  given  invita- 
tion might  indeed  have  needed  endorsement. 
It  was  her  sister's  house,  not  her  own.  But 
she  had  bravely  written  the  letter  as  at  her  sis- 
ter's request,  and  so  far  as  JNIr.  Fairbanks's 
view  of  his  coming  was  concerned,  all  was  reg- 
ular. Mrs.  Biddleson  was  his  hostess  and  ]Mr. 
Biddleson  his  host.  But  how  should  she  make 
Miriam  live  up  to  the  character  given  her  in 
the  letter? 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        225 

Dorothy  was  a  little  afraid  this  would  be 
difficult,  for  Miriam  was  not  only  angry  but  in 
a  stubborn  temper.  She  smiled.  "Now, 
Miriam,  don't  get  so  stirred  up  over  nothing! 
I  got  a  note  from  Mr.  Fairbanks,  telling  me  of 
his  plans  and  that  he  hoped  to  come  to  the  bay 
here.  And  of  course  I  wrote  to  him  that  you 
and  Rae  would  be  delighted  to  have  him  come 
here  for  a  short  visit." 

"  A  month ! "  Miriam  repeated,  tragically. 

"  A  month's  really  awfully  short,  if  you  like 
a  person,"  was  Dorothy's  careless  response. 
"  And  if  I  don't  like  him,  I'll  send  him  along 
in  a  week." 

"A  week!"  Miriam  commented  in  a  faint 
voice. 

Dorothy  turned  on  her  savagely.  "Yes,  a 
week!  And  if  you  can't  be  nice  to  a  college 
professor  for  one  week  in  this  little  hole  I'll 
send  him  off  in  an  hour." 

"  Dorothy,  how  dare  you ! " 

Dorothy  stared  at  her  sister  a  moment,  bit 
her  lip,  stamped  her  foot,  and  then  fled  into 
the  front  hall  where  she  still  heard  her  brother- 


226        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

in-law  and  Harkaway  in  deep  confab.  As  she 
burst  upon  them  with  flushed  cheeks  and  sus- 
piciously moist  eyes,  Harkaway  opened  his 
mouth  and  closed  it  without  any  audible  rea- 
son. Biddleson  glanced  up  and  stopped  in  the 
exact  middle  of  the  word  *'  Gasohne,"  making 
a  sound  like,  ''Gas-oh!'' 

"  Oh,  Rae,  please  make  Miriam  behave," 
said  Dorothy  plaintively. 

"What  has  she  done  now?"  Biddleson  in- 
quired, anxiously  watching  for  tears. 

"  She's  been  perfectly  horrid  about  Mr.  Fair- 
banks!" 

"Who  the  deuce  is  Mr.  Fairbanks?"  her 
brother-in-law  demanded,  while  Harkaway 
scraped  his  feet  on  the  rug  preparatory  to 
escaping. 

"I  invited  him  here  to  visit  us,"  Dorothy 
explained  proudly.  "And  he's  coming  and 
Miriam  is  rude  about  it." 

"  But  who  is  he? "  Biddleson  insisted. 

"  He's  a  professor  in  the  university,  and  he's 
coming  out  West  on  a  trip,  so  I  asked  him  to 
come  here,"  she    went    on.     "  I    thought    of 


FIVE  GALLONS  DF  GASOLINE        227 

course  you'd  be  glad  to  see  a  friend  of  mine 
and  be  nice  to  him." 

"Of  course  we  shall,"  Biddleson  said  with 
forced  heartiness.  "  Won't  we,  Hark,  old 
boy?" 

Harkaway  mumbled  something  about 
"  great  pleasure  "  and  relapsed  into  silence. 

Dorothy  surveyed  them  a  moment  and  then 
resumed  all  her  dignity.  "I'm  sorry  to  have 
bothered  you  all,"  she  remarked  coldly. 
"  Anyway,  I'm  sure  Mr.  Fairbanks  would  find 
it  dull  here.  I  believe  I'll  write  and  tell  him 
not  to  come."  She  set  one  slim  foot  on  the 
bottom  stair,  looked  over  their  heads  and  de- 
parted. As  she  vanished  past  the  landing, 
Miriam  came  out.  "Of  all  the  things!"  she 
breathed.  "  I  didn't  think  that  any  sister  of 
mine  could  accomplish  in  one  day  all  the 
things  that  Dorothy  has  achieved.  Really, 
I  think " 

"  I  reaUy  must  be  going,"  said  Harkaway 
hastily. 

"  I  feel  I  owe  you  an  apology,  Mr.  Hark- 
away," Miriam  went  on  stiffly.     "  I  shall  speak 


228        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

to  Dorothy  about  her  conduct.  She's  only  a 
young  girl  and  needs  a  careful  hand." 

Biddleson  stared  at  his  wife  and  then  at 
Harkaway.  Then  he  suddenly  burst  out 
laughing,  "Ha,  HA!  Ha  HA!"  he  roared. 

In  the  grim  silence  that  followed  this  out- 
burst, Harkaway  took  his  departure.  As  the 
Durable  chugged  away  with  him  Mrs.  Biddle- 
son surveyed  her  husband  through  flowing 
tears.  "  I  hate  automobiles ! "  she  cried.  "  I'll 
never  allow  you  to  get  another  one!" 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE  PROFESSOR  LOSES  HIS  SUIT   CASE 

James  Hardy,  whose  first  experience  of  Tide- 
water was  Biggs's  prophecy  (by  means  of  his 
renowned  barometer)  of  a  first-class  gale, 
didn't  return  to  Rockland,  Maine,  in  spite  of 
the  failure  of  the  anticipated  storm  to  appear. 
Instead,  he  resolved  himself  into  a  homeseeker. 
De  Poe  Bay  appealed  to  him,  he  said,  because 
it  united  the  charms  of  his  native  coast  with  a 
mild  and  equable  climate.  He  could  enjoy 
the  sea  and  the  winds  and  yet  not  worry  about 
his  wood  pile,  or  look  up  pneumonia  in  the  en- 
cyclopedia every  time  the  breeze  crimped  his 
face.  And  he  said  that  Harkaway's  property 
over  on  Shelter  Arm  struck  him  as  exactly  the 
spot  for  his  new  home. 

Mr.  Hardy  had  already  presented  his  letters 
at  Thompson's  bank,  passed  the  usual  com- 

S29 


230        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

merits  on  the  gold  pieces  he  was  given  instead 
of  the  customary  greenbacks,  and  now  was  de- 
voting himself  to  wooing  Harkaway  into  set- 
ting a  fair  price  on  his  land  in  Harkaway's 
Addition.  Without  following  the  negotia- 
tions closely,  it  may  be  said  that  they  ran 
about  as  follows: 

Monday.  Harkaway's  price  is  $20,000 
cash.     Hardy  suggests  $8000. 

Tuesday.  They  both  go  across  in  Biggs's 
launch  and  look  at  the  place,  Harkaway  finally 
offering  to  sell  one-half  the  parcel  for  $7800. 

Wednesday.  Harkaway  refuses  to  sell  at 
any  price.  Hardy  goes  back  to  the  hotel  and 
reads  last  year's  almanac  till  supper  time, 
when  he  remarks  that  real  estate  agents  at 
Tidewater  seem  to  lack  business  sense.  At 
night  Hardy  writes  a  letter  to  Harkaway 
offering  $9500  for  the  whole  place. 

Thursday.  Harkaway  says  he  has  decided 
to  sell  but  will  not  take  less  than  $14,000. 

Friday.  Hardy  appears  at  Harkaway's  of- 
fice with  a  check  for  $11,000  and  tells  Hark- 
away to  take  it  or  leave  it.     Harkaway  says  he 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        231 

will  take  twenty-four  hours  to  decide  it.  He 
instantly  goes  down  to  see  Biddleson  and 
thereby  gets  an  invitation  to  dinner. 

Saturday.  Harkaway  refuses  the  check  on 
the  unpublished  ground  that  he  is  to  go  pic- 
nicking Sunday  with  the  Biddlesons  and  Dor- 
othy. 

Monday.  Hardy  consults  an  architect  and 
builder  about  plans  for  a  house.  In  the  after- 
noon Harkaway  says  he'll  take  the  $11,000. 

Tuesday.  Harkaway  fails  to  have  a  deed 
ready  and  says  he  has  almost  changed  his  mind 
about  selling. 

One  might  extend  this  catalogue  indefinitely. 
On  the  one  hand  Harkaway  represented  to  the 
life  a  man  who  was  absolutely  incapable  of 
knowing  his  own  mind;  on  the  other  Hardy 
grew  more  and  more  eager  to  obtain  the  prop- 
erty. "  I  can't  make  out  what  is  the  matter 
with  that  fellow,"  he  complained  to  jNIr. 
Thompson,  after  reciting  the  peculiar  course 
of  the  negotiations.  "  He  doesn't  seem  to  be 
trying  to  raise  the  price  on  me — the  place  is 
worth  every  cent  he  asks  for  it — ^but  he  doesn't 


2S2        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

seem  to  know  whether  he  intends  to  sell  or  not. 
I  calculate  he's  in  business  to  sell  real  estate. 
Now  why  does  he  behave  this  way^  It  ain't 
businesslike!  We  don't  do  things  that  way 
back  Eastl  We'd  be  sent  to  the  asylum,  if 
we  did!" 

The  banker  didn't  know.  He  vaguely  gave 
Harkaway  as  good  a  character  as  he  could,  con- 
sidering that  Harkaway  dealt  with  the  other 
bank.  NTo,  he  didn't  know,  he  said;  Mr.  Hark- 
away did  business  across  the  street.  Biddle- 
son,  who  overheard  the  conversation,  was  illu- 
minated. That  night  he  told  Miriam  what 
Hardy  had  said  to  Thompson  and  remarked, 
"I'll  bet  Harkaway  is  waiting  to  hear  what 
Dorothy  will  say." 

As  Mr.  Fairbanks  was  expected  to  arrive 
the  next  day,  Miriam  merely  pursed  her  lips 
and  said  if  one  could  only  guess  what  Dorothy 
would  do  next,  etc.,  etc.,  one  could  think  what 
Harkaway  had  better  do. 

"  But  why  not  tell  Dorothy  about  it? "  Bid- 
dleson  suggested.  "  Hark  may  never  have  so 
good  a  chance  to  sell  again." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE         233 

"  Tell  Dorothy? "  exclaimed  Miriam  in  great 
scorn.  "  If  you  know  what  is  best,  Rae  Bid- 
dleson,  you'll  tell  Dorothy  nothing!  " 

"  But  why?  "  persisted  Biddleson.  "  It  isn't 
fair  to  Hark.  I  know  he's  hanging  to  that 
deed  just  to  see  whether  she  doesn't  like  him 
well  enough  to  marry  him,  and  then  they  could 
build  out  there." 

"  If  you  breathe  a  word  of  tliis  to  Dorothy 
you  may  as  well  inform  Mr.  Harkaway  that  he 
had  best  sell  his  land,"  was  Mrs.  Biddleson's 
somewhat  ambiguous  reply. 

Her  husband  thought  this  over,  but  didn't 
say  anything  further.  "I  don't  believe  Mir- 
iam understands  Dorothy,"  he  thought  to  him- 
self. "Even  if  they  are  sisters,  Miriam  has 
always  acted  as  though  Dorothy  were  a  child. 
I'll  see  about  this  myself ! "  He  came  to  this 
decision  with  great  inward  satisfaction,  and  a 
warm  anticipation  of  the  triumph  he  would 
have  when  he  had  "made  it  all  right  between 
the  young  folks." 

He  was  for  going  right  down  stairs  to  fix  it 
up  on  the  spot,  but  he  looked  over  the  railing 


234        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

and  saw  Dorothy  busy  over  some  sewing  by 
the  fire  in  the  hall.  "  To-morrow  will  be  time 
enough,"  he  determined. 

But  in  the  morning  breakfast  was  late,  for 
some  occult  reason  connected  with  the  arrival 
of  Professor  Fairbanks  in  the  evening,  and 
Biddleson  had  to  hurry  to  reach  the  bank  on 
time,  though  he  took  his  bicycle.  Then  at 
noon  he  slipped  back,  but  only  had  time  to 
swallow  his  luncheon,  and  when  he  reached 
home  in  the  evening  it  was  to  find  the  young 
instructor  already  installed  in  the  guest  cham- 
ber. As  he  went  to  Fairbanks's  door  to  do  his 
office  as  host  he  mentally  put  the  whole  matter 
over  till  the  next  day. 

When  he  had  knocked  and  had  been  admit- 
ted he  shook  hands  heartily  with  his  guest. 
*'  I'm  Biddleson,'*  he  told  him.  "  Just  dropped 
in  to  see  whether  you  were  all  right  and  had 
everything  necessary." 

Professor  Fairbanks  was  a  young  man — 
very  young  for  his  position,  Biddleson  thought 
— and  he  apparently  had  lived  a  care-free  life. 
His  face  was  smooth  and  pleasant,  his  shoul- 


FIVE  GALIX)NS  OF  GASOLINE        235 

ders  square.  But  at  this  moment  he  seemed  to 
have  been  overtaken  by  the  sorrows  of  the 
Ages.  "Everything  necessary?"  he  repeated 
with  a  forced  laugh.  "  I'm  sorry  to  say  that 
the  agent  at  the  wharf  down  here  failed  to  put 
my  suit  case  off  the  tug  and  into  the  hack,  and 
I  find  myself  here  without  a  solitary  thing  ex- 
cept what's  in  the  depths  of  my  trunk.  And 
your  wife  informs  me  that  the  tug  doesn't  make 
another  trip  to  Bones  till  to-morrow,  and  that's 
where  my  trunk  is,  I  fear." 

"Hard  luck,"  said  Biddleson  sympathetic- 
ally. "But  I'll  help  you  out  to-night,  old 
chap.  Funny  thing,  though,  too;  Biggs  is 
usually  pretty  careful  about  seeing  that  pas- 
sengers get  their  belongings  off  the  boat. 
Quite  obliging,  really." 

"  Is  that  the  agent's  name?  "  inquired  the 
professor  sharply.  "He  is  a  very  ignorant 
man,  indeed!  I  distinctly  hunted  him  up  and 
told  him  I  was  coming  to  your  house,  said  I 
understood  it  was  quite  a  distance  and  that  I 
must  have  a  hack.  I  told  him  I'd  left  my  suit 
case  on  the  boat  and  to  go  and  get  it  and  put 


236        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

it  beside  the   driver.     I   even   tipped  him   a 
quarter  to  make  sure  he  would  look  after  it." 

"  Tipped  him!  "  echoed  Biddleson  in  dismay, 
then  hastily  changed  the  subject.  Mr.  Fair- 
banks ruffled  up  his  black  hair  and  refused  to 
leave  Biggs  as  a  topic.  "  It  was  inexcusable," 
he  pursued,  growing  angrier  and  angrier,  as 
he  thought  of  his  dusty  clothes,  and  the  pros- 
pective meeting  with  Dorothy.  "  I  nearly 
missed  the  tug  looking  for  my  trunk  at  Bones, 
and  then  to  lose  my  hand  luggage  through  the 
beastly  stupidity  of  an  agent !  I  made  sure  he 
had  put  it  up  beside  the  driver,  and  it  wasn't  till 
I  reached  here  that  I  found  the  driver  had 
never  seen  it.  I  shall  interview  that  agent  to- 
morrow." 

"Certainly,  oh  I  of  course,  to-morrow,"  Bid- 
dleson answered  hurriedly.  *'  Now  you're  all 
right  just  as  you  are.  We  don't  put  on  any 
style  here,  you  know.  Wild  and  woolly  and 
all  that.  When  you're  ready,  just  come 
down." 

As  Biddleson  left  his  guest  and  proceeded 
down  the  hall,  a  prolonged  ring   at  the  bell 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        237 

made  him  glance  into  Miriam's  room  to  say, 
"  My  dear,  who  can  that  be?  Are  we  going  to 
have  somebody  else  to  dinner? " 

"It's  Mr.  Harkaway,"  Mrs.  Biddleson  re- 
turned, giving  a  final  pat  to  her  hair.  "He 
always  comes  early,  you  know.  Dorothy  in- 
sisted on  having  him  and  Mr.  Biggs.  Mr. 
Biggs  telephoned  he  would  be  late.  He's  com- 
ing in  his  launch." 

"Biggs!"  said  Biddleson  feebly.  "To- 
night!" 

Miriam  turned  slowly  round  from  the  glass 
to  confront  her  husband.  "  Why  do  you  gasp 
that  out  hke  a  dying  fish?"  she  inquired  se- 
verely. 

Biddleson  looked  at  her  emptily,  burst  out 
with  a  "Ha  HA!"  and  vanished,  leaving  be- 
hind him  the  impression  that  he  had  been  in- 
sulting. Miriam  pondered  this,  and  then  went 
capably  down  to  see  to  the  putting  on  of  din- 
ner. 

In  the  sitting-room  Biddleson  greeted  Hark- 
away  awkwardly  and  on  the  almost  immediate 
arrival  of  Fairbanks  introduced  them,  before 


S38        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Dorothy,  emerging  tidily  aproned  from  the 
pantry,  could  say  a  word  to  either.  Then 
the  four  of  them  sat  down  and  com- 
menced the  vacuous  chat  which  always 
precedes  actual  conversation  among  the  socially 
correct.  Harkaway  having  duly  asked  the 
professor  the  usual  questions  was  gratified 
by  the  customary  answers.  Then  Dorothy 
brought  up  the  subject  of  Mr.  Fairbanks's  lug- 
gage, and  that  gentleman,  not  having  done 
more  than  mention  its  lack  to  his  hostess,  seized 
the  chance  to  expound  his  grievance  against 
the  agent  at  the  dock.  Dorothy,  hearing  the 
details  for  the  first  time,  looked  astonished, 
then  demure,  and  finally,  when  her  guest  stated 
that  he  fully  intended  to  go  back  next  morning 
and  demand  the  return  of  his  quarter,  got  up 
and  left  the  room  with  an  interested  expression 
on  her  face.  As  she  departed  she  heard  Hark- 
away's  quiet  tones.  He  was  saying,  "  I 
wouldn't  be  too  hard  on  good  old  Biggs.  He's 
a  fine  fellow.  He  could  not  have  understood 
what  you  wanted." 

*'He  seemed  to  understand  the  tip,  all  right,'* 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        239 

Fairbanks  commented  aggressively.  "  For  at 
first  he  wouldn't  take  it  and  asked  me  whether 
I  thought  it  was  enough." 

Biddleson,  leaning  forward,  elbows  on  knees, 
greeted  this  with  an  inane  laugh  which  in- 
stantly sank  into  a  sickly  grin  when  the  bell 
rang  again.  In  the  hall  Miriam's  voice  was 
heard  saying,  "  You  weren't  late  after  aUl 
Come  in,  Mr.  Biggs ! " 

"I'm  awfully  glad,"  they  heard  Biggs  say 
anxiously,  as  if  he  had  committed  a  social  fauoo 
pas.  "  Really,  I  was  sure  I  should  be  late.  I 
left  directly  I  was  free." 

"That  must  be  our  friend  Biggs,"  said 
Harkaway,  striving  to  make  up  for  Biddleson's 
speechless  discomfiture.  "I  know  you'll  like 
him.  Professor.  We  all  like  him.  Queer 
chap,  but  first-rate." 

Fairbanks,  not  connecting  Biggs  the  agent 
with  Biggs  the  guest,  smiled  amiably.  "  It's 
awfully  good  of  Mrs.  Biddleson  to  go  to  all 
this  trouble  to  entertain  me,"  he  said  to  Bid- 
dleson. "I'm  sure  I  shall  have  a  delightful 
time." 


240        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  I  hope  so,"  stammered  his  host,  afraid  to 
look  towards  the  door. 

"Miss  Dorothy  would  make  anybody  have 
a  good  time,"  Harkaway  put  in  genially. 
"  She's  waked  us  all  up." 

"I'm  sure  she  has,"  replied  Fairbanks,  po- 
litely, looking  curiously  at  Biddleson,  who  was 
suddenly  consumed  with  immoderate  laughter. 

Further  exchange  of  remarks  on  this  subject 
was  barred  by  the  entrance  of  Biggs,  who 
walked  composedly  in,  nodded  to  Harkaway, 
shook  hands  with  Biddleson,  now  preternatur- 
ally  serious,  and  promptly  sat  doTvn  near  Fair- 
banks, apparently  without  seeing  him. 

"Biggs,"  said  Harkaway  quickly,  "you 
must  meet  Professor  Fairbanks." 

"  Delighted,  I'm  sure,"  said  Biggs  cordialty, 
getting  up,  locating  the  professor  and  then 
shaking  his  hand  warmly.  "Have  you  been 
here  long,  sir?" 

Before  Fairbanks  could  formulate  any  reply 
— a  matter  of  mental  and  physical  difficulty 
— ^Dorothy  appeared  again — apronless,  this 
time — and  announced  dinner.     As  the  others 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        Ml 

passed  out  she  shook  hands  with  Biggs  and 
said,  "I'm  glad  you  weren't  late.  I  wanted 
you  to  meet  Mr.  Fairbanks.  He's  interested 
in  launches  and  such  things.  I'm  sure  j^ou 
will  find  him  charming!" 

"  If  he's  charming  in  your  eyes,  that  ends  his 
chances  with  us  chaps,"  Biggs  said  boldly. 

Dorothy  hurried  away  to  hide  her  blushes, 
while  Biggs  stopped,  adjusted  his  tie  and 
slowly,  deliberately  settled  his  face  into  a 
solemn,  austere  expression  which,  he  trusted, 
would  affect  the  professor  into  silence  regard- 
ing the  occurrences  of  the  afternoon.  Fair- 
banks was  Dorothy's  guest  and  she  wasn't  to 
be  embarrassed  if  Biggs  could  help  it. 

When  they  were  seated  Biddleson  devoted 
himself  so  strictly  to  his  carving  that  Miriam, 
for  once,  was  satisfied.  As  she  looked  round 
the  nicelj^  dressed  table  from  the  handsome, 
calm  Harkaway  to  the  dark,  athletic  Fairbanks 
and  the  clean,  wholesome  Biggs  and  saw  that 
they  were  all  respectfully  looking  at  her 
younger  sister,  she  thought  gratefully  of  Prov- 
idence.    And  with  this  pleasant  feeling  and  in 


242        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

a  desire  to  promote  it  among  others,  she 
chose  the  first  opportunity  (Rae  was  doing 
very  well  with  the  carving!)  to  speak  out  and 
say,  "  I  hope  you  enjoyed  your  trip  over  to  this 
town,  Professor?" 

"  Immensely,"  said  Fairbanks,  devoting  him- 
self to  persuading  Dorothy  to  have  three  olives 
with  her  soup. 

"  So  many  people  say  it's  hard  travelling," 
Miriam  went  on  calmly,  "  But  I'm  sure  one 
doesn't  have  half  the  trouble  with  trains  and 
boats  that  one  does  in  getting  about  in  street 
cars  and  such  things." 

To  his  dying  day  Biddleson  never  knew  why 
he  interrupted  his  wife  at  this  point  to  state  in 
a  loud,  firm  voice,  "  I'll  bet  Fairbanks  doesn't 
agree  with  you.  He  lost  his  suit  case  the  very 
last  thing  to-day  when  he  got  off  the  boat." 

Fairbanks  replaced  the  olive  dish  thought- 
fully, while  Dorothy  wondered  where  the  pep- 
per was  and  Harkaway  tried  to  think  of  some 
problem  in  Applied  Mechanics  which  would  in- 
stantly absorb  everybody's  interest  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  unlucky  suit  case.     But  Miriam, 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        243 

blissfully  ignorant  of  any  awkwardness,  was 
rather  thankful  to  her  husband  for  giving  her 
so  good  an  opportunity  to  be  sympathetic. 
"  It's  too  bad ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  Now,  if  you 
had  only  known  Mr.  Biggs  here — ^he  would 
have  helped  you  out.  Mr.  Biggs  always  sees 
to  it  that  I  don't  miss  anything.  You  see  " — 
Miriam  here  decided  to  give  Biggs  a  lift  so- 
cially so  as  to  put  him  on  a  par  with  her  other 
guests — "  You  see  he's  almost  the  general  man- 
ager and  president  of  our  road  here,  and  when 
he  goes  and  tells  somebody  to  do  something 
they  always  do  it.  Dorothy,  why  didn't  you 
think  to  tell  Mr.  Biggs  the  professor  was  com- 
ing so  that  he  could  look  out  for  him?" 

Dorothy — ^not  having  found  the  pepper — 
didn't  know.  Miriam  was  inexorable.  "  Rae, 
I  told  you  Mr.  Fairbanks  might  get  lost  or 
something  coming  over.  Why  didn't  you 
'phone  Mr.  Biggs  so  he  could  look  out  for 
him?" 

Biddleson  struck  the  joint  triumphantly  and 
was  absolved  from  reply. 

At  this  point  Mrs.  Biddleson  noticed  that  the 


244        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

professor  was  crimson;  not  a  gentle  ruddy 
colour,  but  a  dark,  lurid  red  that  seemed  to 
come  from  some  great  internal  distress,  such 
as  angina  pectoris,,  or  biting  one's  cheek  or 
swallowing  an  olive  stone.  Oddly  enough  Dor- 
othy was  crimson,  too,  though  her  sister's  quick 
eye  referred  this  to  the  pepper  which  having 
been  discovered  in  the  kitchen  had  been  brought 
in  and  lavished  on  Dorothy's  soup.  Hark- 
away  was  glumly  trying  to  puzzle  out  that 
question  in  Applied  Mechanics  and  get  it  into 
correct  form  to  propound.  Biggs  was  undis- 
turbed and  busy  with  his  soup.  So,  as  a  di- 
version, Miriam  addressed  him.  "  I  hope  you 
can  find  the  professor's  suit  case  to-morrow, 
Mr.  Biggs." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  unabashed  Biggs. 
"  I'U  tell  the  men  to  look  out  for  it." 

"You  don't  think  it  can  really  be  lost?"  she 
went  on. 

Biggs  laid  down  his  spoon.  "  Xo,"  he  said 
decidedly.  "  Do  you  know,  my  barometer 
promises  us  bad  weather? " 

"You  don't  say  so!"  said  Harkaway  in  a 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        245 

tone  that  indicated  that  he  had  at  last  heard 
that  the  desire  of  his  hfe  was  to  he  accom- 
plished. "  I  knew  it  was  going  to  storm  when 
old  man  Hardy  to-day  came  in  and  offered  me 
a  thousand  dollars  more  for  my  property." 

"I  hope  you  didn't  take  it,"  said  Miriam 
eagerly. 

Harkaway  shook  a  gloomy  head.  "No,  I 
didn't,  but  he's  getting  pretty  near  to  my 
price.  You  see  the  place  is  no  good  to  me. 
What's  the  use  of  hanging  on  to  it?" 

"  Oh,  but  it's  such  a  lovely  place  for  a  home,'* 
Mrs.  Biddleson  replied. 

"  Oh,  a  home ! "  was  the  vacant  response. 
"  I  hadn't  thought  of  that." 

Miriam  turned  to  the  professor  winningly. 
"It's  amazing  how  you  young  men  turn  up 
your  noses  at  the  thought  of  a  home  of  your 
own,"  she  remarked.  "  It  seems  to  be  the  last 
thing  you  think  of.  Professor ! " 

Fairbanks  swallowed  two  spoonfuls  of  soup 
and  an  olive  before  answering  this.  Then  he 
said,  nobly  striving  to  play  up  to  his  hostess, 
"  I  suppose  it's  because  most  of  us  are  such 


246        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

chumps."  He  brought  the  last  word  out  so 
forcibly  that  Dorothy  was  very  sorry  for 
him. 

"  But  are  you  going  to  sell  to  Hardy,  then? " 
Biddleson  put  in. 

"I  don't  know,"  Harkaway  confessed. 
"  I'll  teU  you!  Let's  all  go  over  to-morrow  in 
the  auto  and  discuss  it." 

"  That's  a  good  idea,"  Mrs.  Biddleson  con- 
ceded. "And  I  am  sure  Mr.  Biggs  will  let 
us  have  the  use  of  his  launch.  The  motor  only 
carries  five.  Professor,"  she  explained,  "  and 
that  at  a  pinch.  Now,  if  you  are  a  good 
launcher,  you  can  take  Mr.  Biggs's  boat  and 
me  and  the  lunch.  Rae,  Dorothy  and  Mr. 
Harkaway  can  caU  for  Mr.  Biggs  in  the  auto- 
mobile. We  shall  have  a  good  picnic,  and,  you 
ought  to  see  Mr.  Harkaway' s  place.  You'll 
be  glad  to  let  him  have  the  launch,  won't  you, 
Mr.  Biggs?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  that  amiable  person,  "  but 
I  am  afraid  it's  going  to  storm.  My  barom- 
eter  " 

"Oh,  we  know  all  about  your  barometer," 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        247 

interposed  Dorothy.  "You  might  just  as 
well  make  it  foretell  a  good  day." 

"  I  might,"  said  Biggs,  smiling  "  but " 

"But  what?" 

"  But  on  the  condition  that  I  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  taking  you  and  Mrs.  Biddleson  in  the 
launch.     The  rest  can  go  in  the  automobile." 

"I  accept,"  said  Dorothy  smiling  brightly, 
"although,  after  my  last  experience  in  the 
launch,  I  believe  I'd  prefer  the  auto.  How- 
ever, I  will  sacrifice  myself  for  a  fair  day  for 
the  others." 

"  Oh,  I  say ! "  Biggs  protested. 

"  If  it's  a  sacrifice,"  Harkaway  put  in,  "  al- 
low me  to  propose  a  real  sacrifice.  Miss  Dor- 
othy, a  sacrifice  that  will  not  only  display  your 
unselfishness  but  insure  Biggs's  barometer  be- 
ing on  its  good  behaviour:  Let  Biggs  take 
everybody  in  the  launch,  and  I'll  take  you  and 
the  luncheon  in  the  auto." 

Miriam  so  strongly  approved  of  this  plan 
that  it  put  Biggs  in  the  position  of  host  to  her 
and  Fairbanks  and  Biddleson,  and  he  saw  no 
way  out  of  it.     It  was  so  arranged,  and  later 


S48        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

in  the  evening  Harkaway  sought  a  word  with 
Dorothy.  "  I'll  be  here  at  nine  o*clock,"  he 
said. 

"  Come  at  eight,"  she  said  smilingly,  "  and 
then  we  can  stop  for  early  service.  If  I  am  to 
be  self  sacrificing,  I  must  first  attend  to  my  re- 
ligious duties  or  I  will  never  get  the  credit  for 
it." 

Harkaway  left  early  so  that  he  might  enjoy 
to  the  full  the  memory  of  how  Dorothy  said 
this. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BIGGS  MAKES  IT  EASY  FOE  THE  PROFESSOR 

Service  was  over  and  Harkaway  stood  on  the 
little  path  in  front  of  the  church  waiting  for 
Dorothy  to  finish  her  chat  with  the  rector,  with 
whom  she  was  discussing  the  date  of  her  ar- 
rival, her  probable  stay  and  why  she  hadn't 
come  to  service  before.  To  Harkaway  there 
was  a  gentle  pleasure  in  looking  over  the  bay 
and  knowing  that  Dorothy  had  just  admitted 
him  into  that  companionship  and  intimacy 
which,  somehow,  always  attaches  itself  to 
going  to  church  with  a  girl.  He  thought  of 
the  fact  that  she  hadn't  even  mentioned  church 
to  Biggs,  nor  had  she  asked  Fairbanks  to  go 
with  her.  He  suddenly  recalled  her  bowed 
head  and  folded  hands  with  a  swelling  of  the 
throat  that  surprised  him.  It  seemed  to  re- 
move him  from  the  commonplaceness  of  exist- 
ence and  set  him  apart  (with  her)   on  sacred 

249 


250        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

ground.  He  turned  to  hear  her  addressing 
him. 

"I'm  ready  now,"  she  told  him  quietly. 
"I've  remembered  my  sins  and  now  for  the 
penance!     Is  the  car  all  right?" 

"  It  ought  to  be,"  Harkaway  replied,  trying 
to  take  his  eyes  from  Dorothy's  dewily  flushed 
face  and  fix  them  on  the  Durable.  "Unless 
some  small  boys  have  dug  into  the  tonneau  and 
found  our  luncheon." 

"  Ah,  that  would  be  a  sacrifice  I'm  not  ready 
for — ^yet,"  Dorothy  responded,  climbing  into 
a  front  seat.  "  It  would  be  hard  to  be  peni- 
tent and  hungry,  too." 

Harkaway  cranked  the  engine,  it  started 
easily  and  when  he  took  his  place  behind 
the  steering  lever  he  felt  perfectly  happy. 
The  car  slipped  down  the  hill  towards  the 
ferry,  took  the  dip  of  the  pitch  to  the  shore  and 
with  screeching  brakes  pulled  up  on  the  apron 
of  the  ferry.  "  Those  brakes  are  no  good,"  he 
remarked  briefly. 

"They  refuse  to  do  good  works  silently," 
Dorothy  acquiesced. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        251 

While  the  boat  was  slowly  crossing  they 
leaned  back  against  the  cushions  and  Hark- 
away  carefully  scanned  the  waters  of  the  bay. 
"  There's  Biggs  getting  his  launch  ready,"  he 
said  presently,  pointing  down  to  the  far  away 
wharf  where  the  SpitJiead  usually  was. 

Dorothy  puckered  up  her  eyes  and  looked 
too.  "That  must  be  Mr.  Fairbanks  in  his 
shirt  sleeves,"  she  said  quietly.  "  I  wonder 
what  became  of  his  suit  case ! " 

*'  Ask  Biggs,"  Harkaway  returned.  "  I  be- 
lieve he  purposely  put  it  somewhere  out  of  the 
way.     He  wouldn't  easily  forgive  that  tip." 

"But  why!"  Dorothy  demanded.  "It  was 
very  natural  for  Mr.  Fairbanks  to  offer  him 
the  money ;  and  besides,  Mr.  Biggs  took  it  and 
kept  it.  Now,  why  did  he  steal  his  suit  case 
and  things?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly,"  Harkaway  re- 
joined, carefully  setting  the  brakes  again  as  the 
ferry  boat  approached  the  landing.  "But  I 
imagine  it  was  jealousy." 

As  Dorothy  didn't  seem  to  understand  this, 
he  explained.     "  Biggs  probably  saw  that  the 


252        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

professor  was  good  looking  enough  without  his 
sweater  and  his  yachting  clothes,  and  he  said 
to  himself, '  Here's  for  the  spoke  in  his  wheel.' " 

"But  I  don't  think  that  was  nice,  do  you?" 

"I'd  have  done  the  same  thing  myself,  if 
I'd  had  the  chance,"  Harkaway  promptly  re- 
marked. "  Anything  to  keep  Fairbanks  in  the 
background ! " 

Dorothy  was  silent  a  moment  before  say- 
ing, "Poor  Mr.  Fairbanks,  and  he's  so  nice 
too ! "     Her  tone  was  womanly  and  gentle. 

Harkaway  groaned.  "That  settles  it!"  he 
said  dolefully.  "Biggs  has  done  it!"  He 
opened  the  throttle,  and  the  Durable  coughed 
up  the  incline  to  the  main  road. 

"Settles  what?"  demanded  Dorothy,  ap- 
parently mystified. 

"  Pity  is  akin  to  love,"  Harkaway  responded 
painstakingly.  "  Biggs  has  made  you  pity  the 
professor.  Next  thing  you'll  be  falling  in  love 
with  him.     Then  we're  down  and  out ! " 

"  How  do  you  know "  Dorothy  stopped 

with  a  sly  glance  at  her  companion. 

"  Know  what? "  asked  Harkaway  quickly. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        253 

"  That  I  haven't  already  fallen  in  love? " 

"  I  don't  believe  it ! "  was  the  quick  response. 

Dorothy  looked  him  over  carefully.  "I 
don't  believe  you  do,"  she  said  critically.  "  But 
then  so  many  people  don't  believe  true  things! " 

Harkaway  digested  this  in  silence  and  finally 
remarked,  throwing  in  the  low  gear  for  the 
steepest  part  of  the  hill,  "  If  you're  in  love 
with  Mr.  Fairbanks,  I  beg  your  pardon l" 

"I  don't  remember  mentioning  Mr.  Fair- 
banks," Dorothy  replied   thoughtfully. 

The  Durable  topped  the  crest  and  proceeded 
to  skirt  the  ridge  that  forms  the  skyline  of 
Ferdinand  Arm.  Harkaway  changed  to  the 
high  gear,  throttled  the  engine  down  and  said 
irrelevantly,  "Are  you  in  an  awful  hurry  to 
reach  the  picnic  place  ? " 

"  We  can't  beat  the  launch,  anyway,"  she  re- 
plied. "And  it's  too  lovely  to  miss  all  this 
scenerj^     Let's  not  hurry!" 

"  I'll  take  it  dead  slow,"  he  responded,  "  if 
you  will  promise  not  to  mention  the  professor 
— or  Biggs." 

Dorothy  considered  this,  dimpling.     "How 


254        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

exacting  you  are!"  she  commented.  ""What 
am  I  to  talk  about? " 

"  You  might  tell  me  how  you  like  my  place 
over  on  the  beach,"  Harkaway  said  boldly. 

"  But  you've  sold  it,"  she  replied  demurely. 

"  No,  Mr.  Hardy  wants  it,  of  course.  But 
so  far  I've  held  him  off." 

"Rae  told  me  you  were  going  to  sell  it," 
Dorothy  insisted.  "  He  said  Hardy  said  you'd 
agreed  to  sell  it." 

"Well,  I  haven't  sold  it,"  Harkaway  said 
firmly.  "  I  shan't  till  I  know  whether  you  like 
it." 

"I  don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  the 
matter  at  all,"  Dorothy  pouted. 

"Everything,"  Harkaway  affirmed,  with 
great  determination.  "  In  the  first  place  I  like 
the  place  myself.  I've  always  rather  counted 
on  having  a  home  out  there.  In  the  second 
place,"  looking  at  her  ardently,  "  I'm  in  love 
with  you.  My  dear,  you've  no  notion  what- 
ever how  all  sorts  of  things  depend  on  whether 
you  like  them  or  not!" 

Dorothy  glanced  over  her  muff  at  him  for  a 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        255 

fleeting  second,  then  dropped  her  warm  eyes. 
She  said  nothing.  Harkaway  continued  more 
feebly.  "  I  know  that  with  these  Fairbankses 
and  Biggses  and  all  the  fellows  you  have  kno^\Ti 
in  the  East,  I've  got  mighty  httle  chance.  But 
I'm  going  to  take  what  chance  there  is!  I 
don't  mean  to  be  ugly  or  spoil  your  ride  or  any- 
thing like  that,"  he  went  on  miserably  as  she 
still  remained  silent,  "but  I  just  have  to  tell 
you  that  I  love  you  and  want  you  to  love  me, 
and  " — desperately — "  my  place." 

The  Durable  shyed  into  the  salal  brush  and 
when  it  was  brought  back  into  the  road  it 
stopped.  Harkaway  stared  at  the  throttle  and 
the  spark  control,  then  smiled  wretchedly. 
*' Doubtless,  Miss  Dorothy,  you'd  prefer  to 
have  me  mind  my  chauff curing.  I've  grad- 
ually slowed  down  things  till  it's  a  wonder  the 
engine  kept  on  going  at  all."  He  got  out, 
cranked  the  engine  and  started  the  Durable 
on  its  way  at  a  good  speed. 

Dorothy  still  maintained  a  silence  so  ex- 
pressive that  Harkaway  felt  beaten  to  the 
depths.     What  did  he  mean,  he  asked  himself 


256        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

savagely,  by  going  at  so  delicate  a  subject  like 
a  heavy-handed  fool?  Of  course  no  girl  would 
want  things  so  mixed  up  in  a  proposal.  And 
nobody  could  propose  decently  when  an  auto- 
mobile demanded  both  hands  and  both  eyes. 
He  devoted  himself  to  the  machine,  not  daring 
to  look  across  at  her,  for  fear  he  w^ould  see  dis- 
gust too  plainly  written  in  her  eyes.  Suddenly 
he  cut  out  the  spark  and  stopped  the  car  to 
stare  at  her  hopefully.  Dorothy  had  mur- 
mured, "  Is  that  all? " 

He  saw  only  her  eyes,  looking  straight  into 
his  with  something,  he  didn't  know  what,  burn- 
ing in  their  depths  that  stirred  him  to  the  heart. 
"  Not  all,"  he  said.  "  It  would  take  me  a  year 
to  tell  it  all.  I've  merely  summed  things  up, 
Dorothy." 

"But  you've  only  known  me  a  couple  of 
weeks,"  she  said. 

"  Apparently  those  are  the  only  two  weeks  of 
my  life  that  count." 

"Oh I"  she  breathed. 

He  looked  out  over  the  Arm.  Far  in  the 
distance  he  saw  the  minute   speck  that  was 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        257 

Biggs's  launch.  He  turned  back  to  the  girl  at 
his  side.     "  You  haven't  said  anything  yet." 

"  I  think  we'd  better  be  going  on,"  was  her 
matter-of-fact  response,  and  for  the  second 
time  Harkaway  climbed  disconsolately  forth 
and  cranked  the  engine.  As  he  got  back  into 
his  seat  he  couldn't  see  Dorothy's  eyes.  But 
he  saw  her  blush  under  his  searching  stare  and 
he  suddenly  was  buoyed  up  by  hope.  "I'll 
make  you  love  me,"  he  stoutly  asserted. 

"  And  if  I  don't,  you'll  sell  the  place  to  Mr. 
Hardy?" 

"  Surely." 

"  I  expect  Mr.  Hardy  will  give  me  a  bonus 
not  to  marry  you,"  she  said  Hghtly. 

"  I  know  you  don't  take  it  seriously,"  Hark- 
away  groaned,  falling  headlong  from  the  rosy 
clouds.  "  It's  because  I've  only  known  you  a 
couple  of  weeks." 

Dorothy  didn't  seem  disposed  to  answer  this 
question,  so  he  repeated  it,  with  more  assertive- 
ness.  She  shook  her  head.  "  I  do  take  it  se- 
riously, Mr.  Harkaway;  but " 

"But  what?" 


258        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Dorothy  allowed  herself  a  little  laugh. 
"  Well,  for  one  thing,  I  don't  know  what  your 
first  name  is,"  she  told  him. 

This,  to  Harkaway,  seemed  the  very  height 
of  frivolity.  What  possible  difference  could 
it  make  whether  or  not  she  knew  his  name  was 
Thomas  ?  What  did  the  minx  mean  by  insist- 
ing on  such  foolish  matters  as  how  long  she 
had  known  him,  his  first  name  and  Mr. 
Hardy's  possible  bonus?  As  he  was  silent 
Dorothy  explained  a  bit.  "A  girl  simply 
couldn't  decide  whether  she  loved  a  man  when 
she  doesn't  even  know  whether  he's  Charley 
or  Jimmie  or  Billie!  She's  got  to  think  it 
all  over,  you  see,  from  every  point  of  view!" 

Harkaway  didn't  see,  but  he  snappishly 
vouchsafed  the  required  title:  "Thomas." 

Dorothy  received  this  critically.  And  be- 
cause she  merely  repeated  it,  as  if  she  were  sip- 
ping tea,  or  tasting  a  new  kind  of  candy,  her 
companion  forgot  his  calm  and  grew  angry. 
"  Now  that  you  know  it,"  he  said  %vith  a  slight 
roughness  of  tone,  "shall  I  let  Mr.  Hardy 
have  the  place?" 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        259 

"Oh,  of  course,  if  it's  a  financial  proposal, 
certainly,"  said  the  young  woman  with  sudden 
chilliness.  "  Isn't  Mr.  Biggs  making  good 
time!" 

"  Ass ! "  muttered  Harkaway  savagely. 

"  Were  you  speaking  of  Mr.  Biggs? "  Doro- 
thy demanded  w^ith  dignity. 

"No.  I  was  addressing  myself,"  Harka- 
way growled,  opening  up  the  engine  till  the 
Durable  was  plunging  recklessly.  And  no 
more  was  said  till  ten  miles  further  on  he 
slowed  for  a  hill  and  resumed,  "  Dorothy,"  he 
said  bluntly,  "I  want  you  to  understand  dis- 
tinctly that  I  love  you  deeply  and  I'd  give 
anything  in  the  world  for  even  some  hope  that 
you  could  care  for  me.  It  isn't  a  question  of 
anything  but  you.  Is  there — is  there  any 
chance  for  me?" 

"But  I've  told  you  already,"  she  said  sim- 
ply. "  I've  known  you  such  a  short  time,  and 
you've  never  before  intimated  that  you  wanted 
me  to  marry  you — and,"  with  a  bewildering 
smile,  "  it  would  take  a  month  at  least  to  find 
out  if  I  loved  Tommiel" 


260        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

The  tone  in  which  she  repeated  this  name  was 
deliciously  maddening. 

Harkaway  tried  to  analyse  it  and  failed. 
Somehow  he  understood  that  Dorothy  wasn't 
in  love  with  him  just  now,  though  whether  she 
might  hereafter  love  him  was  a  question. 
Puzzling  over  this  he  drove  the  Durable  up 
through  the  winding  lane  that  led  to  the  picnic 
grounds,  and  before  he  could  formulate  an- 
other query  that  might  elicit  a  definite  answer, 
Miriam  welcomed  them  with  a  cry  of  delight. 
"We're  all  so  hungry  and  you've  got  the 
luncheon! "  she  called  out. 

Harkaway  brought  the  automobile  to  a  stop 
and  stared  thoughtfully  at  Biggs,  who  was  try- 
ing to  build  a  fire  with  green  ferns  for  kin- 
dhng  and  only  making  a  large  smudge.  "  I 
forgot  we  had  the  luncheon,"  he  said  truthfully. 
*'But  we  made  good  time,  anyhow!" 

"  Good  time! "  echoed  Biddleson,  coming  up. 
"  We  saw  you  stuck  on  the  hill  road  for  half 
an  hour  I  I  thought  you  said  you  could  run  an 
auto." 

"He  can!"  Dorothy  put  in  with  great  in- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        261 

dignation.  "We  weren't  stuck  at  alL  Mr. 
Harkaway  stopped  the  car  to — ^to  show  me 
something." 

Fairbanks  wandered  up  in  time  to  catch  this 
last.  His  face  was  studiously  expressive  of 
pleasure.  "Well,  we  all  envy  Harkaway," 
he  said. 

"Didn't  Mr.  Biggs  treat  you  nicely?"  she 
demanded,  accepting  his  hand  to  get  out  with. 

Biggs  looked  over  from  his  smudge.  "  The 
professor  knows  how  to  run  an  engine,"  he  de- 
clared. "  I  really  wasn't  needed  at  all."  He 
quietly  resumed  his  labours  with  the  refractory 
kindling. 

As  this  conversation  didn't  seem  to  get  any- 
where, Harkaway  turned  off  the  gasoline  and 
went  over  to  help  Biggs  at  the  fire.  Fair- 
banks promptly  appropriated  Dorothy  and 
took  her  off  to  look  at  the  ocean,  which,  he 
remarked  in  his  scholarly  way,  was  worth  see- 
ing. Biddleson  avoided  his  wife's  eye  and 
went  to  poke  an  inquisitive  nose  into  the  coffee 
pot.  "This  time  it  won't  taste  of  gasoline," 
he  announced. 


263        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Biggs,  willing  to  have  his  preparations  for 
a  fire  undone  and  replaced  hj  real  kindling 
made  with  a  knife,  lit  his  pipe  and  stared  after 
Fairbanks.  "  Is  that  young  man  a  fair  speci- 
men of  the  young  college  American?"  he  de- 
manded casually. 

"Pretty  fair,"  said  Harkaway.  "He's  a 
good  fellow,  all  right.  Odd  manners,  some- 
times, these  chaps  have;  but  they  mean  all 
right.     What  did  you  do  with  his  suit  case?" 

Biggs  grunted  and  pulled  a  slip  of  paper 
out  of  his  pocket.  "  It  was  expressed  to  Deep 
Water,"  he  said  indifferently.  "  The  fellow 
he  gave  the  quarter  to  thought  he  wanted  it 
sent  by  express.  I  found  the  receipt  this 
morning.  All  the  professor  will  have  to  do  is 
go  to  Sahara  and  get  it." 

"Very  neat,"  Harkaway  commented 
thoughtfully,  "  and  you  look  as  though  you  be- 
lieved it  yourself.  It  is  mighty  decent  of  you, 
Biggs,  to  try  and  square  Fairbanks  on  that 
quarter  business.  I'd  let  him  suffer.  Any- 
way, I  am  afraid  it  won't  work.  Dorothy 
won't  swallow  it,  for  one." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        263 

When  Dorothy  and  Fairbanks  returned 
from  looking  at  the  ocean  he  called  to  her. 
*'Oh,  Miss  Dorothy!  I  found  the  professor's 
luggage." 

Miriam  glanced  up  interestedly  from  her 
preparations  of  sandwiches  and  salad  on  little 
wooden  plates.  "Oh,  did  you?  Was  that 
what  you  went  to  the  station  so  early  this 
morning  for?" 

Fairbanks  maintained  a  masterly  silence,  but 
took  the  paper  that  Biggs  held  out  to  him. 
*'  Why,  this  is  a  receipt  from  an  express  com- 
pany for  my  suit  case!"  he  ejaculated  pres- 
ently. 

"  Yes,"  said  Biggs  slowly,  "  one  of  my 
men,  the  fellow  you  gave  the  quarter  to,  you 
know,  thought  you  meant  to  have  it  sent  to 
Deep  Water.  The  charges  were  just  twenty- 
five  cents.  All  you've  got  to  do  is  to  go  up 
there  and  get  it." 

Fairbanks  glanced  up  with  a  queer  smile. 
"I'm  more  obliged  to  you  than  I  can  say. 
Biggs,"  he  remarked.  "  You've  pulled  me  out 
of  a  hole."     To  his  amazement  the  EngHsh- 


264        FR^  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

man's  face  ruddied.  "Don't  mention  it,"  he 
muttered,  turning  away. 

Dorothy  had  taken  all  this  in  and  her  fine 
eyes  sought  to  reward  Biggs.  That  individ- 
ual, finding  her  gracious  glances  upon  him, 
flushed  more  furiously  than  ever.  Miriam 
broke  in  with,  "  But  how  will  Mr.  Fairbanks 
get  it?  Oh,  I  know,  ]Mr.  Biggs  can  take  him 
across  in  the  launch!" 

Biddleson,  finding  an  opportunity  of  doing 
the  right  thing  in  his  wife's  eyes,  instanth"  en- 
dorsed this  and  amended  it.  "Why  can't 
Pairbanks  and  Dorothy  run  across  now  and 
get  it  while  we're  getting  luncheon  ready?" 

"Excellent!"  said  the  professor.  "Come 
on,  Dorothy!" 

When  they  were  gone  Miriam  looked  at  her 
husband  but  said  nothing.  To  Biggs,  how- 
ever, she  vouchsafed  this  remark :  "  Your  boat 
is  quite  the  most  convenient  thing ! " 

"Oh,  quite!"  said  Biggs  drily. 

"It  serves  you  right,  old  chap,"  Harkaway 
put  in  calmly.     "  It's  all  your  fault." 

Biggs  stared  into  the  fire  and  shook  his  head. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        265 

"I  don't  like  your  young  American  profes- 
sors," he  said. 

At  this  moment  Dorothy  reappeared,  fol- 
lowed by  Fairbanks.  "  Your  old  engine  won't 
go! "  she  said.  " Mr.  Fairbanks  has  tried  and 
tried!" 

Biggs  instantly  became  cheerful.  "  I'll  tell 
you,  Miss  Dorothy,"  he  said,  getting  to  his  feet. 
"I'll  come  down  and  see  what  is  the  matter 
with  it." 

*'  The  spark  is  out  of  business,"  said  the  pro- 
fessor confidently. 

"Just  sit  down  and  take  my  place  a  mo- 
ment," Biggs  returned  affably,  handing  the 
professor  an  empty  spoon  which  he  had  been 
holding  in  his  hand  for  no  assignable  reason 
whatever  except  that  it  seemed  to  give  him  an 
air  of  being  occupied.  "  Just  hold  this  spoon 
for  me  and  I'll  go  do^vn  and  see  what  the 
trouble  is." 

"  I'll  go  too,"  said  Dorothy.  "  The  profes- 
sor can  help  Miriam  better  than  you  can,  any- 
way!" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

HIS  BROTHER,  ADOLPHUs! 

When  he  reached  the  launch  Biggs  carefully 
cast  off  the  painter  and  helped  Dorothy  in. 
"  Sit  down  there  and  steer,"  he  said. 

Dorothy  gazed  in  some  alarm  over  the  side 
as  the  Spithead  floated  out  into  deep  water. 
"But  your  engine  is  broken!"  she  exclaimed. 
"We'll  drift  out  and  can't  get  back!" 

Biggs  calmly  opened  a  locker  where  the  bat- 
teries were  and  openly  and  ostentatiously  re- 
paired a  broken  connection.  Dorothy  looked 
at  him  wide-eyed.  "  Mr.  Biggs ! "  she  said  se- 
verely.    "You  did  that  on  purpose!" 

Biggs  straightened  up  and  closed  the  locker. 
"  Those  things  are  always  breaking,"  he  re- 
marked negligently.  "  The  professor  was 
right  about  there  being  no  spark."  He  twirled 
the  flywheel  and  the  Spithead  backed  swiftly 

366 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        267 

out  under  the  pull  of  her  engine.  "  Now  we'll 
go  and  get  that  luggage,"  said  Biggs. 

Dorothy  manoeuvred  the  launch  till  it  was 
headed  directly  for  Deep  Water,  two  miles 
across  the  bay.  When  Biggs  had  set  the  lubri- 
cators he  sat  down  opposite  her  and  smiled. 
Dorothy  denied  him  a  response.  *'  I  begin  to 
think  you  are  a  schemer,"  she  said  coldly.  "  I 
really  didn't  want  to  go  with  you." 

"  But  the  professor's  luggage,"  he  insisted. 
"  I  knew  you  were  anxious  about  it  and  you 
must  be  reassured."  He  nodded  gravely  at 
her.  "  I  don't  wish  you  to  worry  too  much 
about  the  professor." 

Something  in  his  manner  warned  Dorothy 
and  she  refused  to  implicate  herself.  Biggs 
went  on,  "  You  think  entirely  too  much  of  that 
young  man.  You  oughtn't  to  forget  your  old 
friends." 

"  I've  knovm  you  two  weeks  and  Mr.  Fair- 
banks two  years,"  said  Dorothy  freezingly. 

"  I  fancy  it  would  take  at  least  two  years  to 
learn  to  like  the  professor,"  was  the  unabashed 
reply. 


268        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  Two  weeks  is  certainly  too  short  a  time  to 
get  used  to  your  manners,"  Dorothy  retorted 
frigidly. 

Biggs  promptly  availed  himself  of  the  open- 
ing.    "What  have  I  done?" 

"Oh,  lots  of  things,"  Dorothy  responded 
quickly.  "You've  been  rude  and  impolite  to 
my  guest." 

Biggs  seemed  heartbroken  at  the  accusation. 
"  I  never  meant  to  be  rude,"  he  said  contritely. 
" But  you  American  girls  are  so  jolly! " 

Dorothy  leaned  forward  with  apparent  in- 
terest. "What  do  you  really  mean  by 
'jolly'?" 

Biggs  was  thoughtful  over  this.  "  Oh,  you 
are  always  up  to  snufF  and  taking  a  fellow  up," 
he  paltered. 

"That  will  do  very  well,"  said  Dorothy 
calmly.  "  I'll  accept  the  definition.  Now  will 
you  kindly  explain  to  me  why  you  hormswog- 
gled  Mr.  Fairbanks's  suit  case?" 

"  Hormswoggle  ? "  repeated  Biggs  blankly. 
"  What  does  that  mean? " 

"It  means  precisely  what  it  says,"  was  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        269 

tart  reply.  "Why  did  you  hormswoggle  the 
professor's  suit  case?  Send  it  to  Sahara  and 
all  that?"     She  looked  at  him  sharply. 

Biggs  didn't  flinch.  "  Some  bally  ass 
thought  he  wanted  it  sent  to  Deep  Water  by 
express,"  he  said  unblushingly.  "  And  it  was 
sent  there." 

Dorothy  looked  at  him  severely,  but  his  eyes 
were  frank  and  refused  to  harbour  any  expres- 
sion of  doubt,  falsity  or  shame.  She  sighed 
and  turned  away. 

Biggs  opened  the  throttle  a  little  more  and 
as  the  Spithead  responded  he  glanced  across 
at  his  companion  with  a  faint  flush  rising 
slowty  in  his  cheeks.  "  I  say.  Miss  Dorothy," 
he  began,  "  how  would  you  like  to  go  to  Eng- 
land to  live?" 

Dorothy  gave  him  the  full  benefit  of  her 
clear,  girhsh  eyes.  "With  you?"  she  re- 
sponded quietly. 

Biggs  swallowed,  gazed  wildly  about  him, 
then  screwed  up  his  courage.     "  Yes,"  he  said. 

Dorothy  considered  this  and  then  asked 
coldly,  "  Is  this  a  proposal?  " 


270        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Biggs  grew  redder  than  ever  as  he  met  her 
glance.  "It  is!  I  love  you,"  he  said  with  a 
mingling  of  respect  and  adoration. 

There  was  a  flush  on  Dorothy's  cheek  now, 
and  she  turned  her  eyes  away.  The  serious- 
ness on  Biggs's  face  wasn't  to  he  mistaken. 
She  knew  that.  It  wasn't  the  hour  for  flirta- 
tion, nor  the  man.  Somehow  she  was  afflicted 
with  a  desire  to  cry.  That,  she  felt,  would  be 
fatal.  Probably  he  would  try  to  comfort  her 
and  would  put  his  arms  around  her.  She 
blushed  more  furiously  than  ever  at  this  pass- 
ing thought,  restrained  her  tears  and  merely 
shook  her  head. 

"But  I  say,"  Biggs  said  miserably,  "I'm 
awfully  in  love  with  you,  Dorothy.  My  peo- 
ple are  first-rate,  and  all  that,  and  I'd  make 
you  a  good  husband.  Of  course,  I  haven't  any 
money." 

Dorothy  bent  glorious  eyes  on  him. 
"  Haven't  you  any  money  or  any  place  you'd 
like  to  build  me  a  home  on?  ]^fothing  that  I 
could  improve,  so  to  say? " 

Biggs  was  disconsolate  but  firm.     "Not  a 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        271 

bally  cent  except  what  I  make  as  agent.     But 
that's    not    so    bad,    Dorothy.     And    I    love 

you!" 

The  flush  on  Dorothy's  face  grew  sunset- 
like. "You're  a  dear  boy,"  she  said  briefly. 
"  I  know  you'd  make  a  good  husband.  But  I 
don't  love  you." 

Biggs  took  his  fate  like  the  man  he  was. 
The  flush  didn't  leave  his  face  nor  the  hunger 
die  from  his  eyes.  But  he  smiled,  and  thereby 
won  Dorothy's  respect  forever.  She  was  glad 
she  hadn't  fenced  or  tried  to  put  him  ofl",  but 
had  treated  him  boldly  and  frankly.  It  oc- 
curred to  her  that  it  was  the  first  time  she  had 
met  such  an  occasion  in  such  a  manner  and  she 
dimly  wondered  why  Harvey  Biggs  (a  nice 
first  name,  too)  evoked  her  plain  self  without 
concealment. 

When  they  reached  Sahara  Biggs  vanished 
and  presently  reappeared  with  Fairbanks's 
suit  case,  which  he  carefully  deposited  in  the 
launch  without  looking  at  Dorothy.  Then  he 
started  the  boat  back  for  the  picnic  party. 
Half  way  across  he  said  to  Dorothy,  respect- 


272        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

fully  and  plainly,  as  though  he  were  entitled 
to  know,  "Is  it  Fairbanks?" 

"  Xo,"  said  Dorothy  without  any  perceptible 
hesitation,  and  was  immediately  amazed  at 
herself  for  answering  so  impudent  a  question. 

"Is  it  Harkaway?"  pursued  Biggs. 

This  time  Dorothy  was  silent.  Biggs  ex- 
plained himself  in  four  words:  "I  thought  I 
might  help." 

"  Help! "  repeated  the  astounded  Dorothy. 

Biggs  bent  over  the  carburetor.  "I  think 
you  deserve  to  be  happy,"  he  said,  his  voice 
shaking  a  little.  Then  he  relapsed  into  a  still- 
ness that  lasted  over  the  next  mile.  Biggs 
was  thinking  hard,  thinking  so  hard  that  he 
presently  thought  out  loud.  "Poor  Alicia!" 
Dorothy  heard  him  say.  ''  SJie  ought  to  have 
been  happy!" 

"  Alicia?  "  questioned  Dorothy,  her  feminine 
curiosity  aroused  at  once. 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  said  Biggs  hastily.  "  I  was 
thinking  of  my  father." 

"  Is  your  father's  name  Alicia? "  persisted 
Dorothy,  at  first  roguishly,  and  then  imme- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        273 

diately  sorry  for  Biggs  because  he  was  so  genu- 
inely miserable  and  she  saw  that  she  had 
touched  a  tender  spot. 

"Ahcia  was  the  girl  they  wanted  me  to 
marry,"  explained  Biggs.  "  She  had  a  lot  of 
beastly  money  and  I  didn't  have  any,  so  here 
I  am."  Which  explanation  seemed  to  satisfy 
Biggs,  but  wasn't  at  all  clear  to  Dorothy,  who 
scented  a  romance  and  of  course  had  to  know 
about  it  down  to  the  minutest  details.  She 
became  at  once  very  sympathetic  and  when 
Dorothy  bent  on  one  her  liquid  glances  in  pure 
sympathy  it  was  really  worth  while  unbosoming 
oneself. 

"  Then  you  didn't  love  her,"  she  suggested 
tenderly  and  hopefully.  Dorothy  felt  tender 
at  that  particular  moment,  because  she  had 
just  told  Biggs  that  she  didn't  love  him,  and 
what  woman  does  not  feel  tender  at  such  a 
time?  The  suggestion  of  hopefulness  in  her 
voice  was  due  to  a  vague  feeling  of  resentment 
against  Alicia.  Alicia  had  a  delicate,  flower- 
like aristocratic  sound  in  Dorothy's  ears,  and 
she  just  as  vaguely  hoped  that  Alicia  was  older 


274        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

than  Biggs,  or  that  she  had  a  squint,  or  no  eye- 
brows, or  something  so  that  Biggs  needn't  re- 
proach himself  too  much. 

"No,  I  didn't,"  answered  Biggs.  "But 
that  didn't  make  any  diif  erence  to  Dolly " 

"Dolly!"  interrupted  Dorothy  in  surprise. 
"Another  one?" 

"No,  Dolly's  my  brother — Adolphus,  you 
know,"  explained  Biggs.  A  shade  of  bitter- 
ness, not  unmixed  with  contempt,  came  into 
his  voice  as  he  mentioned  his  brother.  "  There 
wasn't  enough  money  for  us  all,"  he  went  on. 
"  There  never  is.  And  Dolly  was  to  get  it  all, 
of  course " 

"Of  course?"  queried  Dorothy.  "Why 
should  your  brother  get  it  all? " 

"  Oldest  son,"  said  Biggs.  "  The  oldest  son 
expects  to  get  everything.  You  don't  have 
oldest  sons  in  America.  That  is,  I  mean  an 
oldest  son  isn't  any  better  than  any  other  son ; 
but  in  England  the  others  have  to  stand  aside 
for  the  oldest  brother.  He  tliinks  that  he  is  a 
little  god  and  w.e  must  bow  down  to  him.  Now 
my  oldest  brother — I  have  only  one  brother — 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        275 

is  an  ass,  but  being  the  first  born  he  will  suc- 
ceed to — to  the — he'll  get  the  property,  you 
know,  and  the  Governor  and  the  Mater  think 
he's  all  right — everything  that  Dolly  does  is 
always  all  right.  There  is  an  awful  rumpus  if 
things  don't  suit  Dolly.  He  has  his  own  spe- 
cial brand  of  tea  at  breakfast,  just  six  pieces 
of  toast,  no  more,  no  less.  He'd  be  in  a  fright- 
ful rage  if  there  were  seven,  and  I  believe  he'd 
cry  if  there  were  only  five.  It  has  to  be  hot 
and  freshly  toasted  and  be  ready  when  he  gets 
down.  It  sometimes  takes  half  a  dozen  loaves 
of  bread  and  two  dozen  eggs  for  Dolly's  break- 
fast. And  then  he  has  his  own  particular  seat 
that  he  must  sit  in.  It  is  nearest  the  fire  in 
winter.  In  summer  it  is  where  he  can  see  out 
of  the  window.  At  other  seasons  it's  just 
where  he  orders  it  put.  Often  we  can't  sit 
down  to  eat  till  brother  Adolphus  comes,  be- 
cause he  might  have  ordered  his  seat  changed, 
and  it  wouldn't  do  at  all  if  someone  else  took 
it.  Once  a  schoolmate  came  home  with  me  for 
the  Christmas  holidays,  and  before  he  had  ever 
heard  of  Dolly  he  sat  in  Dolly's  chair  at  break- 


276        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

fast.  I'll  never  forget  the  IVIater's  face,  nor 
the  looks  of  the  Governor  for  that  matter.  An 
awful  catastrophe  was  prevented  by  sending 
Dolly's  eggs  and  his  six  pieces  of  toast  to  his 
room  before  he  could  get  down,  and  the  ]\Iater 
had  to  go  to  his  room  to  make  him  think  he 
was  sick,  so  that  he  would  eat  it  there.  It  was 
eas}^  enough  to  make  Dolly  think  he  was  sick ! 
"  You  could  see  how  it  would  be,"  continued 
Biggs.  "Dolly  said  I  ought  to  provide  for 
myself — ^marry  Alicia,  you  know.  Said  it  was 
a  duty  I  owed  my  family.  By  the  famity, 
Dolly  meant  himself.  And  if  I  wanted  to  be 
a  pauper  I  needn't  blame  him;  that  I  never 
could  deny  that  he'd  done  his  best  for  me.  I 
told  him  he  was  a  beast  and  why  didn't  he 
marry  Alicia  himself?  He  got  in  an  awful 
rage;  said  I  was  an  ungrateful  brute;  that 
Alicia  was  good  enough  for  me,  insinuating 
that  she  wasn't  good  enough  for  him.  And  I 
punched  his  face  because  she  was  too  good  for 
either  of  us.  And  then  he  put  it  up  to  the 
Governor  in  his  own  way,  and  the  Governor 
almost  had  an  attack  of  apoplexy,  and  told  me. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        277 

among  other  things,  that  I  ought  to  have  some 
regard  for  the  family  dignity,  meaning  Dolly's 
dignity,  and  that  I  shouldn't  be  stubborn  and 
impudent  to  my  superiors,  meaning  Dolly.  I 
told  the  Governor  that  Dolly  was  an  ass  and  a 
fool,  and  then  he  had  his  apoplexy  and  Dolly 
ordered  me  out  of  the  house.  I  went,  but  not 
before  I  punched  the  other  side  of  his  face  for 
scriptural  reasons.  The  Mater  was  sorry,  of 
course,  because  I  was  going,  and  said  some- 
thing about  *your  brother  Adolphus'  and 
peace  in  the  family;  that  Alicia  would  have 
been  most  acceptable  to  the  family — meaning 
Dolly;  and  that  she  was  a  dear,  sweet  girl  be- 
sides, which  she  was,  and  so  I  went  away  and 
here  I  am." 

"  Did  Alicia  know  about  this?  "  asked  Doro- 
thy. 

"  No,  unless  Dolly  told  her — just  like  him, 
the  brute!" 

"Does  Ali — do  they  know  where  you  are?" 

"Yes,  I  got  a  letter  from  the  Mater  when 
— when  Alicia  died.  I  always  thought  she 
loved  Dolly.     Dolly  thought  so,  too,  but  now  I 


278        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

know  she  didn't.  It  was  very  sad,  the  Mater 
said  in  her  letter, '  And  your  brother  Adolphus ' 
— she  never  spoke  of  him  to  me  but  she  said 
'  your  brother  Adolphus ' — '  had  to  give  up  his 
house  party,  some  distinguished  friends  from 
London,  you  know.'  I'll  bet  Dolly  blamed 
Alicia  for  dying  and  spoiling  his  house  party, 
and  I  can't  help  wondering  how  Dolly  had 
distinguished  friends  in  London — a  lot  of  bally 
fools,  I  suppose,  like  himself!" 

"  Did  Alicia  love  anybody  else?  "  asked  Dor- 
othy, looking  at  Biggs  in  an  accusing  manner. 

"  I  couldn't  say,"  answered  Biggs  calmly,  as 
he  ran  the  S pithead  in  to  the  shore  and  poked 
her  nose  into  a  soft  spot  in  the  sand. 

"Hi!  Biggs!"  shouted  Harkaway  from  the 
shore.  "  Cheer  up !  The  worst  is  yet  to  come. 
Everything  is  ready  but  the  coffee,  and  we 
haven't  any  coffee.  Bid  took  it  out  of  the  pic- 
nic things  before  we  started;  thought  it  was  a 
can  of  graphite,  so  he  hunted  up  the  real 
graphite  can  and  put  that  in  instead.  It's 
good,  strong-looking  dope,  but  it's  a  little  too 
rich  to  drink." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        279 

Without  replying  to  this  outburst  from  his 
suspected  rival.  Biggs  solemnly  helped  Dor- 
othy out  of  the  launch,  deposited  the  profes- 
sor's suit  case  on  the  bank  and  then  fastened 
his  mushroom  anchor  to  the  longest  rope  he 
had  and  dropped  it  overboard  at  the  stern. 
When  he  got  out  of  the  boat  he  jumped  ashore 
in  such  a  way  that  he  gave  it  a  shove.  As  the 
Spitheadj  under  the  impulse  of  Biggs's  back- 
ward kick,  floated  away  and  rode  at  the  end 
of  the  rope,  he  picked  up  the  suit  case  and 
started  to  join  the  others  who  were  waiting  to 
begin  lunch.  Dorothy  looked  at  the  launch 
floating  serenely  and  safely  out  of  everybody's 
reach  and  then  at  Biggs  in  a  suspicious 
manner. 

"How  are  you  going  to  get  in  again,  Mr. 
Biggs?"  she  inquired. 

"  Oh,  I'll  get  it  when  the  tide  goes  out,"  he 
answered  indiff'erently. 

"  But  Mr.  Fairbanks,"  she  began,  stealthily 
eyeing  him;  "  Mr.  Fairbanks,  you  know,  talked 
of  taking  me  out  for  a  little  ride,  and  now  he 
can't  get  the  boat." 


280        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"Fairbanks?  Oh,  I  forgot  all  about  the 
professor." 

"But  you  have  the  professor's  suit  case  in 
your  hand." 

"Why,  to  be  sure,"  acknowledged  Biggs. 
"  How  stupid  of  me.  It's  too  bad.  He  could 
have  had  the  launch  just  as  well  as  not." 

"I  believe  you  did  it  on  purpose,"  said  Dor- 
othy. 

"Did  you  want  to  go  out  with  the  profes- 
sor?" asked  Biggs  abruptly. 

"No,"  was  the  decided  response. 

"Harkaway?" 

Again  Dorothy  was  silent  at  the  mention  of 
that  name.  However,  there  are  degrees  of 
silence.  Since  the  story  of  Alicia  and  Biggs's 
part  therein  had  come  to  her  knowledge,  she 
regarded  Biggs  in  a  diiFerent  way,  and  her 
silence  in  respect  to  Harkaway  assumed  a  dif- 
ferent aspect.  It  was  slightly  less  positive 
and  not  so  full  of  meaning.  Of  this  Biggs 
was  wholly  unconscious.  Indeed,  it  would 
have  taken  an  exceedingly  acute  observer  to 
detect  the  change  in  her  manner.     After  a 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        281 

brief  silence  Biggs  remarked,  "  Well,  if  Hark- 
away  wants  the  lanncili  I  can  throw  a  fish  line 
aboard  and  haul  her  in,  but  the  professor — 
the  professor,  among  his  other  accomplish- 
ments, ought  to  be  able  to  swim." 

"Thank  you,  so  much!"  said  Dorothy. 

Biggs's  efforts  to  fend  off  the  distinguished 
Applied  Mechanic,  as  he  mentally  dubbed  him, 
did  not  stop  at  making  it  impossible  for  him 
to  escape  with  her  in  the  launch.  Whenever 
Fairbanks  sidled  up  to  Dorothy,  Biggs  bore 
down  on  him  and  engaged  his  attention  with 
a  long  and  circumstantial  account  of  some  re- 
markable storm  that  had  followed  closely  upon 
a  fall  in  his  barometer.  After  several  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  elude  Biggs,  Fairbanks 
gave  up,  but  his  submission  was  only  apparent. 
The  picnic  lunch  was  eaten,  the  things  cleared 
up  and  stowed  away  in  the  Durable ;  they  had 
explored  every  foot  of  Harkaway's  property 
and  were  ready  to  go  home,  when  Fairbanks 
said  aloud,  giving  Biggs  a  defiant  look,  "  Dor- 
othy, I've  engaged  a  launch  for  to-morrow. 
Please  don't  make  any  other  engagement,  but 


282        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

accompany  me  on  a  trip  up  the  bay.  We'll  be 
back  in  time  for  dinner." 

Miriam  was  astonished,  Harkaway  was  dis- 
mayed and  Biggs  subdued.  Biddleson  was 
the  only  one  who  said  anything;  a  faint  "  Ha 
HA! "  was  all  that  occurred  to  him. 

Dorothy  looked  at  Biggs  for  help,  but  that 
capable  individual  had  none  to  offer,  so  she 
said  with  sudden  enthusiasm,  "  Oh,  do  let's  go! 
Of  course  I  won't  make  any  other  engage- 
ment." 


CHAPTER  XV 

MORE  MATRIMONIAL  MANCEUVRES 

It  was  nine  o'clock  when  Dorothy  and  Fair- 
banks reached  the  water  front  and  the  launch 
which  he  had  hired  for  the  day.  Biddleson 
had  accompanied  them  down  from  the  house 
and  before  he  left  them  he  remarked  uneasily, 
"It  looks  as  if  it  might  storm  before  long, 
Professor." 

Fairbanks  stared  at  the  clouds  in  the  south- 
ern sky,  felt  the  warm  sunshine  between  his 
shoulder  blades  and  smiled  in  a  superior  way. 
"I  guess  you  don't  get  very  rough  water  on 
this  little  bay,"  he  remarked.  "  I'll  look  out, 
of  course." 

"Biggs  telephoned  just  before  we  left  the 
house  that  his  barometer  was  going  down  fast," 
Biddleson  continued  feebly.  "But  then 
Biggs's  barometer  doesn't  hold  any  record  for 
accuracy." 

The  j^oung  professor  stiffened  at  the  mere 

283 


284.        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

mention  of  the  Englishman — ^Britisher,  he  pri- 
vately termed  him — and  he  turned  to  Dorothy 
firmly.  "  Let's  get  started,  Dorothy.  Or  are 
you  afraid?" 

"Afraid?  Nonsense,"  she  replied  quickly, 
leaping  into  the  boat.  "I've  heard  of  Mr. 
Biggs's  barometer  before." 

So  Biddleson  left  them  and  went  his  way  to- 
wards the  bank.  A  block  farther  on  Hark- 
away  met  him  and  drew  him  aside.  "Look 
here,"  he  said  with  pretended  anxiety, 
"  Biggs  says  it's  going  to  storm.  Have  they 
gone  yet?" 

"  Storm,  eh?  Ha  HA! "  Biddleson  nudged 
Harkaway  in  a  meaning  way.  "  Storm!  Ha 
HA!  I  could  tell  by  the  looks  of  your  face 
last  night  when  the  Professor  asked  Dorothy 
to  go  that  there  would  be  a  storm  of  some 
kind  this  morning.  I  didn't  need  Biggs's 
barometer  to  tell  me  that."  Biddleson  nudged 
Harkaway  again.     "  Ha  HA! " 

"That's  all  very  funny,"  said  Harkaway 
stiffly,  backing  away  out  of  reach  of  Biddle- 
son's  nudges,  "  but  I  tell  you  that  Bigg " 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        285 

"Ha  HA!  So  you've  got  Biggs  on  your 
side,  and  you  are  out  to  do  Fairbanks,  are  you? 
But  you  can't  scare  that  chap  with  a  little  im- 
itation storm  whirling  around  Biggs's  office. 
He's  a  coUege  professor,  and  he  knows  a 
whole  lot,  you  know,  you've  got  to  think  up 
something  better  than  that.  Ha  HA!  Fair- 
banks is  a  fine  looking  fellow,  too.  Eh, 
Hark?"  Bid  moved  up  to  nudge  Harkaway 
again,  but  Hark  eluded  him,  making  up  his 
mind  that  if  Bid  said  Ha  HA  again  he  would 
hit  him. 

"I'm  telhng  you,"  he  said  with  great 
earnestness,  "that  it's  going  to  blow,  and 
Biggs's  barometer  isn't  the  only  one  that  says 
so,  either.  The  one  on  the  Richardson  is  way 
down,  too,  not  so  low  as  Biggs's — couldn't  be 
expected  of  it,  not  so  much  practice,  you  know 
— ^but — say,"  continued  Harkaway  after  a 
thoughtful  pause,  "I  am  going  to  tell  you 
something  that  no  one  but  me  and  Biggs 
knows,  and  I  know  you  won't  tell.  On  the 
square,  now.  Bid."  Harkaway  lowered  his 
voice  and  approached  Biddleson,  regardless  of 


286        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

possible  nudges  and  said  mysteriously:  "  I've 
found  out  how  Biggs  works  his  barometer. 
Those  taps  of  his  on  the  glass  face  are  all  a 
bluff.  The  hand  is  quicker  than  the  eye,  you 
know,  but  Biggs  does  it  with  his  foot.  That 
can  be  quicker  than  anything  on  occasion.  I 
was  down  under  the  dock  the  other  day  when 
the  tide  was  out  and  happened  to  look  up. 
Right  under  Biggs's  office  and  as  near  as  I 
could  tell,  exactly  under  the  barometer,  I  saw 
a  most  peculiar-looking  contrivance.  It  was 
dark  up  under  there,  and  I  could  not  see  very 
well,  but  what  I  did  see  made  me  suspicious. 
So  I  went  up  around  into  Biggs's  office  and 
watched  him  carefully  while  he  handed  out 
three  different  kinds  of  weather  to  three  dif- 
ferent people  in  ten  minutes.  After  the  last 
one  went  out,  an  old  lady  whose  boy  was  fish- 
ing in  a  small  boat  on  the  bay — Biggs  made 
the  needle  go  clear  to  the  top  for  her  benefit — I 
made  him  show  me  how  he  did  it.  It  seems 
he's  got  a  loose  board  right  under  the  barom- 
eter. Underneath  are  some  cog-wheels, 
levers  and  things  and  a   bicycle   pump    con- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        287 

nected  with  a  small  lead  pipe  leading  up  to 
the  barometer.  When  Biggs  steps  on  one  end 
of  the  board,  the  pump  sucks  the  air  out  of 
the  barometer  and  down  goes  the  needle,  pro- 
ducing one  of  his  justly  celebrated  storms. 
When  he  steps  on  the  other  end,  it  pumps  air 
in,  instead  of  sucking  it  out.  At  once  he  has 
a  high  pressure  area  of  great  intensity,  the 
needle  goes  up,  and  you  have  a  fine  day  while 
you  wait.  Foxy  Biggs !  Made  it  all  himself. 
Is  going  to  give  it  to  me,  if  he  leaves  town. 
Says  someone  must  keep  up  the  reputation  of 
Tidewater  for  any  and  all  kinds  of  weather. 
It  wouldn't  be  a  bad  thing  to  have  around  a 
real  estate  office.     Now,  would  it.  Bid?" 

"Ha  HA!"  said  Biddleson  in  commenda- 
tion. "  So  that's  how  you  and  Biggsie  con- 
jured up  a  storm  to  keep  Dorothy  from  going 
with  Fairbanks?" 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Harkaway  hastily.  "  I  for- 
got to  say  that  if  you  keep  your  feet  ofiT  the 
board  the  instrument  works  just  like  any  other 
barometer,  and  Biggs  this  morning  swore  by 
all  his  gods  that  he  hadn't  been  anywhere  near 


288        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

it.  Real  storm  this  time ;  sure  thing."  Hark- 
away  assmned  a  look  of  great  anxiety.  "  Say, 
Bid,  really  you  ought  to  keep  Dorothy  from 
going." 

"  I  can't,"  said  Biddleson  calmly.  "  They've 
gone  already.  If  you  go  to  the  wharf,  you'll 
see  them  on  the  bay." 

"Where  are  they  going?"  Harkaway  de- 
manded shortly. 

"Way  up  the  bay,"  Biddleson  returned. 
"  They  said  they  would  be  back  before  dark." 

With  this  Harkaway  had  to  be  satisfied,  as 
he  went  back  into  his  office  and  waited  for  old 
man  Hardy,  whom  he  was  going  to  tell  of  his 
determination  never  to  sell  Harkaway's  Addi- 
tion for  any  price  less  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.  Biddleson  went  to  the  bank, 
took  ofiP  his  coat  and  put  on  his  office  jacket. 
And  across  the  street  Biggs  sat  at  his  high 
desk  scowling  at  his  barometer  between  glances 
out  on  the  sound  where  he  saw  the  launch 
bearing  Fairbanks  and  Dorothy  up  stream. 

Fairbanks  himself  was  quite  content.  He 
had  finally  got  Dorothy  off  by  herself.     More- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        289 

over  he  had  arranged  things  to  remind  her  es- 
pecially of  their  long  days  on  the  lake  back  in 
iVIinnesota  when  he  had  come  very  near  to 
proposing  to  her — ^but  never  quite  to  the  point. 
This  morning  he  viewed  her  bright  face  and 
slender  figure  with  satisfaction.  There  was 
no  doubt  in  his  mind,  now,  that  he  loved  her. 
And  he  intended  to  tell  her  so,  and  he  was  al- 
most sure  she  would  respond  as  he  hoped  she 
would.  But  of  all  this  he  said  nothing.  His 
words  were,  "  I'll  trust  you  to  steer  us  through 
the  narrow  channels  up  the  bay." 

Dorothy  smiled  back  at  him.  "I  don't 
know  them,"  she  answered.  "But  I  guess 
we  can  get  off  if  I  run  us  aground.  Isn't  this 
a  fast  boat!" 

"I  made  that  part  of  the  bargain,"  was 
the  response.  "I  told  the  launch  man  I 
wanted  the  fastest  boat  he  had.  I  never  ran 
an  engine  like  this  before;  but  it  seems  to  be 
going  finely." 

Fairbanks  set  down  the  oil-can  and  wiped 
his  hands  on  a  piece  of  waste  in  a  professional 
manner.     Then  he  moved  back  from  the  en- 


290        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

gine  and  across  from  Dorothy.  "  This  is 
heavenly,"  he  said  with  a  sigh.  "  I've  been 
waiting  for  this  six  months!  " 

Dorothy  shook  her  head  at  him.  "I 
shouldn't  think  you'd  say  that  when  you  know 
it's  lots  nicer  on  the  lake  back  in  Minnesota." 

"  Oh,  if  you  were  there,"  Fairbanks  acqui- 
esced. "But  you  see  it's  you  that  makes 
things  worth  while." 

Dorothy  assumed  a  severe  air.  *'  If  you  are 
going  to  flirt,  I'm  going  to  steer  this  launch 
straight  in  for  shore." 

"I'm  in  dead  earnest,"  the  professor  said 
penitently.  "I  am  not  flirting  at  all,  Dor- 
othy. I've  been  waiting  six  months  to  tell 
you  that  I " 

At  this  moment  Dorothy  discerned  a  ter- 
rible snag  poking  its  dark  head  out  of  the 
current,  drove  the  steering  wheel  hard  over  and 
the  launch  performed  that  evolution  known 
as  "  pulling  turnips,"  which  involves  a  vast 
amount  of  tipping,  a  deadly  plunge  and  then 
a  sickening  slide  shoreward.  When  she  had 
the  boat  under  control  again,  the  professor  was 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        291 

trying  to  look  as  though  he  hadn't  reversed  the 
engine. 

"What  did  you  do  that  for?"  Dorothy  de- 
manded indignantly.  "Did  you  think  I 
couldn't  steer  past  it? " 

"But  you  looked  scared!"  said  the  profes- 
sor meekly. 

"It  wasn't  that  old  snag  that  scared  me," 
was  the  tart  reply.  "If  you  don't  trust  my 
piloting  without  all  the  time  backing  the  en- 
gine up,  come  and  steer  yourself." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  launch  was  slipping 
gaily  through  the  narrows  above  Sahara  and 
Fairbanks  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  smile. 
But  he  said  no  more  until  they  had  entered  the 
long,  green-bordered  upper  bay.  Here  the 
waves  from  the  cutwater  sheered  silverly  away 
in  a  broad  V  to  either  shore  and  the  ruffled 
wake  boiled  hke  a  stream  of  watered  silk  be- 
hind them.  In  that  comparative  silence  and 
solitude  Dorothy's  face  grew  still  more  peace- 
ful. She  leaned  back  in  her  seat  and  gazed 
at  the  dark  hills.  "  I  love  this  country,"  she 
murmured. 


292        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"I  don't  think  you  would  care  to  live  in  it 
all  your  life,  though,"  Fairbanks  responded. 
"  It's  nice,  and  all  that !  but,  after  all,  one  likes 
to  be  in  the  swim,  as  they  say ;  to  be  nearer  the 
centre  of  our  national  life." 

"  That  sounds  quite  Fourth-of-Julyish," 
was  the  teasing  answer. 

Unabashed,  Fairbanks  pushed  tliis  aside. 
"  I  don't  know  but  that  it  has  been  said  be- 
fore," he  admitted.  "But  I  am  talking  of 
specific  instances.  Now  take  yourself,  Dor- 
othy. With  all  your  education  and  brains,  you 
can't  imagine  yourself  settled  down  here.  I 
can't  imagine  you  living  dully  in  Tidewater 
as  the  wife  of — of,  well  of  that  ticket  agent. 
Biggs." 

Dorothy  sat  up  quickly.  "That's  very 
odd,"  she  remarked.  "You  must  be  a  mind 
reader.  I  was  just  thinking  of  that  same 
thing!" 

Fairbanks  glanced  at  her  curiously. 
"  What  funny  things  you  say!  " 

Dorothy  smiled  faintly.  "  But  I  was  think- 
ing of  him!"  she  protested.  "I  like  Mr. 
Biggs." 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        293 

Fairbanks  smiled  with  a  certain  condescen- 
sion. "  Oh,  I  daresay  Biggs  is  all  right.  But 
you  couldn't  live  here,  you  know.  You're 
made  for  better  things." 

Dorothy  leaned  forward  interestedly. 
"  Just  what  is  your  notion  of  a  woman's  duty 
to — er — ^herself  and  the  world?"  she  de- 
manded. 

This  question  seemed  leading  and  the  pro- 
fessor of  Applied  Mechanics  distrusted  its 
purport.  At  the  same  time  it  gave  him  an  op- 
portunity of  saying  what  was  on  his  mind  and 
he  gallantly  tackled  it. 

"For  an  educated  woman,"  he  began,  "I 
should  say  she  must  never  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that  she  is  educated.  She  oughtn't  to  waste 
it." 

"On  Mr.  Biggs;  I  see." 

"  Biggs  was  merely  an  example,"  Fairbanks 
said  stiffly.  "  I  didn't  mean  to  say  anything 
against  him.  As  I  was  saying,  a  woman  hke 
you  oughtn't  to  waste  her  chances  of  making 
her  training  count  for  something.  She  ought 
to  marry  in  her  own  class,  you  know." 

Dorothy  nodded.     "  I  see,"  she  said  dream- 


294.        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

ily.  "  But  don't  you  think — "  she  beamed 
on  him  brightly — "  most  educated  men  are  aw- 
fully stupid?" 

"Stupid?    What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"Exactly  what  I  said,"  she  replied  firmly, 
"  The  ordinary  college  man  thinks  he's  better 
than  other  people.  So  does  the  college  girl. 
I  even  find  myself  thinking  that  way.  I  almost 
despise  girls  who  haven't  been  to  a  university 
and  I'm  all  the  time  looking  down  on  perfectly 
nice  men  who  don't  know  Greek  or  what  the 
fraternity  pins  stand  for.  It's  the  university 
attitude  of  mind.  For  instance,  you  wouldn't 
be  wasting  your  time  talking  to  me  if  I  wasn't 
a  college  girl ! " 

"  Wasting  my  time?  "  the  professor  echoed. 
"Dorothy,  you  ought  to  know  better,  if  you 
don't.  It  wouldn't  matter  to  me  if  you  didn't 
know  your  letters ! " 

Dorothy  drew  a  long  breath  and  looked 
away.  It  had  come  and  she  didn't  know  just 
what  to  say  to  head  him  off.  And,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  Fairbanks,  once  launched,  wasn't 
for  turning  back    under    any    circumstances. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        295 

With  a  look,  almost  of  exaltation,  he  moved 
closer  to  her  and  poured  out  his  heart. 

Possibly  because  they  were  both  vitally  in- 
terested, or  because  of  the  proverbial  blind- 
ness of  love,  neither  had  observed  that  the 
launch,  now  skirting  a  high  bluff,  was  rapidly 
leaving  the  narrow  channel  and  making  for  a 
long  shallow  opposite  out  of  which  peeped  a 
few  rocks.  So  it  happened  that  before  Fair- 
banks had  succeeded  in  making  his  feelings 
plain,  they  were  both  thrown  into  the  bottom 
of  the  boat  by  a  bump.  The  launch  heeled 
over,  the  propeller  churned  the  water  and  then 
everything  stopped,  including  the  engine. 

Fairbanks  picked  himself  quickly  up  and 
without  a  word  gazed  wretchedly  over  the  side 
into  six  inches  of  water.  Sundry  applicable 
quotations  from  Emerson  entered  his  mind. 
Astern  of  the  launch  a  fifty  foot  trail  of  mud 
and  sand  showed  that  it  was  that  far  to  deep 
water.  Dorothy  on  her  feet  with  her  hands 
to  her  hair,  added  the  final  straw  by  exclaim- 
ing, "And  the  tide  is  going  out!  We  shall 
never  get  out  of  here  in  the  world." 


296        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"  But  the  tide  will  come  in  again,"  protested 
the  professor.    "  Then  we'll  float  off  all  right." 

Dorothy  sat  down  and  stared  at  liim.  "  It 
will  be  six  or  seven  hours  yet,"  she  remarked 
tragically,  "and  it's  now  only  ten  o'clock  or 
a  little  after,  isn't  it?" 

The  crestfallen  Fairbanks  consulted  his 
watch  and  remarked  that  it  was  eleven.  "  I 
looked  at  the  tide  table  and  the  tide  is  low  at 
exactly  eight,"  he  went  on.  "  So  it  hasn't  really 
started  down  at  all  but  it's  coming  in  and  will 
be  high  at  two  o'clock.  It  can't  be  long  now 
till  we're  afloat  again." 

Dorothy  peered  over  the  side,  pouted  and 
finally  decided  to  make  the  best  of  it,  as 
the  launch  lay  a  hundred  yards  from  any  shore. 
The  professor  investigated  the  propeller  and 
found  it  well  wrapped  with  weeds.  Clearing 
these  he  found  the  engine  to  work  excellently. 
"  Give  us  six  inches  more  of  water  and  we'll 
run  out  in  good  style,"  he  exulted.  "  Cheer 
up,  Dorothy!" 

"We'll  have  to  eat  our  lunch  right  here  in 
the  boat,"  she  said  practically. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        297  i 

.( 

"Good,"    said    Fairbanks,    recovering    his  - 

spirits. 

"  And  it  looks  as  if  it  might  storm,"  the  in- 
exorable girl  continued,  staring  at  a  black 
cloud  above  the  bluif . 

Fairbanks  utterly  refused  to  become  dis- 
consolate.    Dorothy  w^as  with  him;  the  lunch  \ 
had  not  been  forgotten,   and   there   was   no               j 
Biggs  to  interfere  with  his  pleading  with  the              i 
girl  he  loved.                                                                     ! 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BIGGS  PULLS  OFF  A  REAL  STORM 

Biggs  stood  in  his  office,  studying  his  barom- 
eter with  great  care.  One  might  have  sup- 
posed that  he  really  believed  in  it.  "  By  Jove, 
I  wish  you  could  tell  all  that  will  happen  to- 
day," he  was  muttering  to  the  excellent  instru- 
ment. 'Tor  it's  going  to  blow  and  I'd  like 
to  know  how  that  bally  idiot  of  a  professor  is 
going  to  get  back  safely." 

The  barometer  didn't  answer  this,  so  Biggs, 
determined  to  get  some  response,  took  the  tele- 
phone trumpet  off  the  hook  and  rang  up 
Harkaway.  "  Say,  old  chap,"  he  called,  "  just 
slip  down  to  the  jeweller's  and  see  what  the 
glass  is  doing." 

At  the  other  end  of  the  line  Harkaway 
looked  over  at  Mr.  Hardj^  and  saw  that  the 
old  gentleman  was  busy  looking   at   a  map. 

298 


FIVE  GALIX)NS  OF  GASOLINE        299 

"  What's  the  matter.  Biggs? "  he  questioned. 
"  Someone  nailed  the  board  down  so  that  you 
can't  use  yours?"  .  .  .  " Oh,  all  right,  I'll 
go  down  I"  When  he  came  back  and  spoke 
through  the  telephone,  he  was  really  uneasy. 
"  It's  dropped  two  tenths  in  the  last  hour,"  he 
said.  "But  I'm  not  worried  about  'em. 
Fairbanks  is  a  competent  fellow,  and  the 
launch  is  all  right.  If  it  starts  to  storm,  they 
wiU  undoubtedly  land  at  Deep  Water." 

Biggs  hung  up  the  receiver,  and  went  back 
to  his  bills.  At  noon,  he  called  the  jeweller  up 
and  learned  that  the  glass  had  fallen  another 
tenth.  He  went  to  lunch  with  a  red  spot  on 
either  cheek.  At  two  o'clock  he  cast  a  last 
hurried  glance  into  the  southern  sky  and 
called  Harkaway  up  on  the  telephone  again. 
"  Harkaway,"  he  said  abruptly,  "  go  down  and 
get  in  the  Spithead  and  bring  her  over  here. 
These  people  aren't  in  sight  yet.  But  Deep 
Water  says  they  have  passed  there.  Inside 
of  half  an  hour  it'll  be  blowing  a  gale  and  that 
launch  won't  stand  up  to  it.  We'll  take  the 
Spithead  and  go  get  'em."     He  waited  for 


SOO        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Harkaway's  assent  and  then  hung  up  with  a 
bang. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  S pithead  chugged  up 
to  the  wharf  and  Biggs  dropped  in,  displacing 
Harkaway  at  the  steering  wheel  beside  the  en- 
gine lever.     "  I'll  run  her,"  he  said  curtly. 

"Don't  care  if  j'^ou  do,"  said  Harkaway 
cheerfully.  "Rotten  engine.  You  ought  to 
get  one  like  the  Durable.  Three  cylinders 
would  just " 

"We've  got  just  five  minutes  to  beat  the 
professor  to  the  point,"  said  Biggs.  "If  we 
can  get  'em  the  other  side  of  that" — he  ad- 
vanced the  spark  until  the  engine  sang — "  we'll 
do  nicely.  But  if  they  get  this  side  and  the 
wind  comes" — he  steadied  the  launch  on  her 
course — "then  it  will  be  nasty  work." 

"  And  the  professor  will  likely  get  wet,"  said 
Harkaway,  lighting  a  cigarette  with  great  dif- 
ficulty. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  about  the  professor,"  said 
Biggs  crossly.  "  Didn't  I  tell  him  it  was  go- 
ing to  storm?  And  he  must  go  on  and  drag 
that  fine  little  woman  out  just  to  make  a  pic- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        301 

nic  for  him!"  Harkaway  saw  a  sudden  fire 
in  Biggs's  eyes.  The  other  launch  poked  its 
nose  around  the  point  a  mile  away. 

"  Now  we  are  in  for  it,"  said  Biggs,  glanc- 
ing savagely  at  the  clouds  that  roUed  billow- 
like up  towards  the  zenith.  A  little  squaU 
flipped  across  the  bay  and  left  foam  in  its 
wake.  Harkaway  threw  his  coat  over  the  en- 
gine to  protect  the  spark  plug  from  spray. 
Biggs  nodded  thanks,  and  headed  the  Spithead 
to  windward. 

Still  the  wind  held  off,  while  Biggs  strained 
his  eyes  to  see  some  signs  of  weariness  on  the 
part  of  Fairbanks.  Harkaway  did  not  seem 
much  perturbed;  he  was  chuckling  softly  to 
himself  at  the  idea  of  his  rival  getting  wet. 
Fairbanks,  in  the  hired  craft,  steadily  chugged 
out  into  the  main  channel,  stiU  refusing  to  turn 
towards  shore  and  shelter.  Every  moment  the 
southern  sky  darkened.  Over  the  ridge  of 
trees  on  the  ocean  side  puffs  of  cloudy  va- 
pour eddied;  overhead  resounded  a  dull  sound 
of  wind.  Biggs  stood  up  and  waved  his  hand 
violently,  but  neither  the  professor  nor  Dor- 


302        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

othy  seemed  to  see  his  gesture.  "  This  is  rot- 
ten," Biggs  said,  seating  himself  again  by  the 
engine.  "  In  one  minute  this  bay  will  be  mush 
with  whipped  cream  on  top  of  it." 

The  S pithead  swung  arourid  under  his  skil- 
ful hand  and  took  the  next  squall  delicately  on 
the  bow.  Then  the  gale  broke.  Up  to  this 
moment  Harkaway  had  thought  the  whole  ex- 
pedition was  a  lark,  and  that  the  clouds  and 
the  wind  were  a  sort  of  tribute  to  Biggs's  ba- 
rometer, but  now  he  crouched  in  the  shelter  of 
the  little  peak.  A  half  mile  away  and  to  lee- 
ward they  saw  the  other  launch  plunge  sharply 
and  then  keep  on  its  steady  way.  Dorothy 
appeared,  a  slight  figure  in  the  stern.  For  five 
minutes  Biggs  kept  his  boat  headed  into  the 
increasing  wind  then  scowled  at  Harkaway. 
*'  Gasoline  won't  buck  this,"  he  called.  "  But 
anyway  we  can  run  over  to  them  and  help 
out."  The  S pithead  thrashed  round,  was 
caught  by  a  wave  and  threatened  to  capsize. 
But  Biggs  held  her  firmly  to  her  work,  she 
sped  about  and  plunged  off  towards  Fairbanks 
and  Dorothy. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        303 

"  Good  boy,  Biggs,"  shouted  Harkaway, 
still  cheerful. 

As  the  two  launches  drew  near  to  each  other 
Biggs  rapidly  appraised  the  gale,  shook  his 
head  and  called  to  his  companion,  "  It's  going 
to  be  nasty  in  a  few  moments.  Let's  get  the 
girl  out  of  that  other  boat  and  run  for  shore. 
We  can  land  through  the  surf  while  it's  no 
higher." 

But  Fairbanks  either  did  not  anticipate  the 
manoeuvre,  or  trusted  to  his  own  judgment. 
As  the  Spithead  rolled  alongside  he  dehber- 
ately  put  his  helm  over,  caught  the  next  wave 
full  on  the  side  and  was  blown  down  the  bay 
before  Biggs  could  follow.  By  this  time  the 
wind  was  furious.  The  bay  was  a  rolling  ex- 
panse of  foamy  waves  and  even  the  Tide- 
water shore  appeared  to  be  a  distant  and 
hazy  eminence  in  the  sea.  But  Biggs  said 
nothing.  He  brought  the  Spithead  carefully 
before  the  wind,  and  crouching  so  as  to  shield 
the  engine  from  the  slashing  spray,  snorted 
after  the  professor.  "He'll  make  the  point 
and  try  to  land  by  the  wharf,"  he  vouchsafed 


304        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  "GASOLINE 

to  Harkaway.  "  Lucky  if  he  don't  swamp  her 
in  the  attempt." 

Harkaway  wiped  the  hrine  from  his  eyes 
and  shook  his  head.  "He's  going  right 
across,"  he  shouted  hack. 

Biggs  seemed  incapahle  of  believing  this. 
But  a  few  minutes  more  showed  that  Fair- 
hanks,  in  ignorance  of  the  tide  and  the  ter- 
rific ebb  seaward,  was  trying  to  regain  his 
original  landing  place.  They  saw  the  launch 
gradually  head  around  more  and  more  till  it 
was  being  born  broadside  towards  the  bar  and 
almost  upon  the  breakers  that  were  thundering 
opposite  the  hfe-saving  station.  Harkaway 's 
gesture  of  despair  brought  a  frown  to  Biggs's 
calm  brow.     He  headed  after  them. 

To  Biggs's  eyes  the  situation  lay  out  as 
plainly  as  a  chart.  Behind  him  was  the  south- 
easter, steadily  gaining  in  strength.  Before 
him  tumbled  the  bar,  tossing  high  spumey 
crests  into  the  lowering  sky.  On  the  one 
hand  the  life-saving  station's  little  run-way 
appeared  momentarily  through  the  surf;  on 
the  other  towered  the  flimsy  magnificence  of 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        305 

Devonshire  Hall.  And  in  the  channel  between, 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  him,  Fairbanks 
was  driving  to  death  in  the  surf,  while  Dor- 
othy sat  steadily  in  her  seat  and  trusted  him. 
Biggs  cast  a  swift  glance  at  Harkaway. 
Harkaway  smiled  with  pale  lips  and  they 
shook  their  heads  at  each  other.  Both  knew 
what  was  coming — the  battle  in  the  huge, 
swirling  cauldron  made  by  the  outflowing  tide 
and  the  incoming  breakers,  all  stirred  to  double 
fury  by  the  howling  wind. 

The  S pithead  tore  along,  each  wave  from  the 
bay  behind  her  trying  to  ride  over  the  f antail 
stern  and  fill  the  cockpit.  But  Biggs  was 
master  of  his  craft.  Fairbanks  was  doing 
well,  too,  Harkaway  thought.  How  had  he 
kept  that  frail  laimch  afloat  so  long?  But 
why  didn't  Fairbanks  see  his  danger?  Why 
didn't  he  turn  and  make  back  for  the  inner 
bay  while  there  was  time?  Harkaway  even 
shouted  the  question  at  Biggs. 

Biggs  didn't  answer  it.  Fairbanks  an- 
swered it  himself  by  suddenly  putting  his  helm 
over  and  trying  to  make  the  launch  take  the 


306        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

incoming  seas  broadside  on,  in  an  effort  to 
reach  the  foam-swept  pier  in  front  of  the 
Thompson  place.  That  manoeuvre  brought 
Biggs  to  his  feet.  "She'll  capsize,  Hark!" 
he  yelled.  "Keep  your  eye  out  for  heads 
while  I  run  across." 

Harkaway  waved  violent  remonstrance. 
"  You're  crazy! "  he  cried.  "  You'll  drown  us 
both!" 

Biggs  paid  no  attention  to  this.  His  eyes 
were  fixed  on  the  other  launch.  He  saw  it 
yield  to  the  helm,  swerve  round,  point  its 
bow  towards  the  pier  and  then  soar  upwards  on 
a  booming  roller  from  the  Pacific.  Caught 
in  that  vast  grasp  it  hung,  careened  far  over, 
so  that  Biggs  could  see  Fairbanks  clutching 
the  reverse  lever  and  hanging  to  the  wheel, 
could  see  Dorothy  clinging  silently  to  the 
thwarts.  Then  the  roller  di'opped  them,  the 
next  wave  dashed  clean  over  the  launch,  and 
Biggs  grimly  watched  for  a  chance  to  send 
the  Spithead  after  it.  The  chance  came. 
For  a  full  sixty  seconds  Harkaway,  clutching 
any  handhold,  stared  fearfully  at  the  man  who 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        30T 

was  master  of  him  and  the  launch.  Then  the 
Spithead's  engine  cheerfully  coughed  the 
water  out  of  the  carburetor  and  Biggs  said 
aloud,  "If  we  can  keep  in  this  eddy  a  min- 
ute we're  all  right.  Stand  by  to  pick  Dor- 
othy out  of  that  other  boat." 

Harkaway  balanced  himself  as  best  he  could 
and  Biggs  calmly  drove  the  bouncing  Spithead 
through  the  next  breaker  and  almost  on  top  of 
the  swamped  launch.  Harkaway  found  Dor- 
othy's outstretched  hands  and  she  was  quickly 
drawn  to  comparative  safety.  A  nimble  leap, 
and  Fairbanks  was  in  the  Spithead^  abandon- 
ing his  water-filled  and  helpless  craft.  "  I'm 
afraid  that  launch  is  a  goner,"  he  said  miser- 
ably. But  he  received  no  answer,  for  Biggs 
was  now  anxiously  manoeuvring  to  save  the 
Spithead  from  a  similar  fate. 

Half  an  hour  later  Biggs  ran  his  dripping 
boat  in  towards  the  shore  above  Thompson's 
place,  stopped  his  engine  and  swung  an  anchor 
over  the  bow.  "  We  can't  run  her  clear  ashore 
in  such  rough  water,"  he  explained  to  Dorothy. 
*'  It's  a  case  of  wade ! "     Before  she  could  reply 


308        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Biggs  sedately  stepped  into  water  that  came 
up  to  his  waist  and  held  out  his  arms.  "  Come 
on.  Miss  Dorothy!"  he  said. 

Dorothy  came,  with  meek  obedience,  and 
was  set  down  on  the  sand  just  out  of  reach  of 
the  breaking  waves.  Meanwhile  Fairbanks 
and  Harkaway  were  wading  ashore,  looking 
disheveled  and  white.  For  the  first  time  since 
she  had  been  caught  up  out  of  the  sinking 
launch  Dorothy  found  her  tongue.  Her 
speech  was  directed  to  Biggs,  the  capless, 
coatless  and  muddy.  "  I  don't  blame  Alicia," 
she  said  enigmatically. 

Harkaway  stared  at  her  in  a  seasick,  dazed 
way.  "Who  was  Alicia?"  he  demanded  in- 
anely. 

Fairbanks  heard  the  allusion  to  Alicia,  too, 
but  he  did  not  attempt  to  understand  it.  He 
considered  what  she  had  said  to  be  a  wander- 
ing of  the  mind,  due  to  overexertion.  "  Don't 
you  feel  well,  Dorothy? "  he  asked  anxiously. 

Dorothy  refused  to  answer  either  of  them 
and  merely  smiled  wanly  at  Biggs,  who  blushed 
and  tried  to  look  dry,  but  failed.     As  a  last 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        309 

resort  he  discovered  Mrs.  Thompson's  auto- 
mobile coming  up  the  road.  He  promptly 
halted  it,  dragged  the  astonished  Henri  out 
of  his  seat  and  pointed  to  the  dripping  trio. 
"  Take  Miss  De  Poe  and  these  chaps  home," 
he  commanded. 

"But!"  protested  Henri,  outraged,  and 
looking  wildly  around  for  help. 

"No  buts,  Henri,"  said  Biggs.  "Take 
Miss  De  Poe  home  directly.  Open  that 
door!" 

Henri  opened  the  tonneau  door  and  Biggs 
lifted  Dorothy  in  with  one  sweep  of  his  arms. 
A  well-known  voice,  evidently  expressing 
fright,  received  her.  It  was  Mrs.  Thompson 
who  stared  at  the  capless  Biggs,  then. at  the 
white  and  desolate  Dorothy  and  said  shrilly, 
"What? — who  is  it?  Is  anybody  dead? 
Where?" 

Biggs  thrust  his  head  in  and  responded 
quietly.  "Ah,  Mrs.  Thompson!  Sorry  to 
disturb  you,  but  Miss  De  Poe  is  very  wet. 
Will  you  please  take  her  home?  " 

Dorothy,  feeling  powerless  and  wanting  ter- 


310        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

ribly  to  cry,  now  found  voice  enough  to  say 
something  about  trouble  and  inconvenience. 
Biggs  brushed  this  aside.  "I'm  sure  Mrs. 
Thompson  will  be  deHghted,"  he  said  firmly. 

That  lady,  recovering  her  wits,  instantly 
said  that  she  would  be  delighted.  And  as  soon 
as  she  had  established  a  modus  Vivendi  she  pro- 
ceeded to  ask  what  had  happened.  Recognis- 
ing that  curiosity  would  insure  Dorothy's  be- 
ing taken  home,  and  not  allowed  out  of  the 
car  till  the  last  word  was  told.  Biggs  stepped 
back.  As  he  did  so  Henri  climbed  into  his 
seat  and  indicated  to  Fairbanks  and  Harkaway 
that  they  might  double  up  beside  him.  They 
promptly  availed  themselves  of  the  invitation 
and  Biggs,  saying  something  about  going 
after  Fairbanks's  launch,  refused  to  join  them, 
and  waved  Henri  on.  That  personage,  recog- 
nising in  Biggs  an  imperious  character,  obeyed, 
leaving  him  to  wade  back  to  the  Spithead. 

Once  more  on  his  own  tossing  half -swamped 
craft.  Biggs  proceeded  methodically  to  bail 
it  out.  When  this  was  done  he  stood  up  and 
looked  off  into  the  eddy  a  half  mile  below 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        311 

to  see  whether  the  other  launch  had  heen 
thrown  on  the  sand  or  had  swept  out  to  sea  or 
had  utterly  vanished. 

Before  long  he  caught  sight  of  it.  The 
abandoned  craft,  being  no  longer  directed  by 
human  ignorance,  had  obeyed  the  laws  of  na- 
ture and  refused  to  go  on.  It  still  hung  high 
on  each  roller,  tossing  wildly  when  the  gale 
caught  it.  Biggs  sat  down  again  in  his  own 
boat  and  managed  to  find  some  dry  tobacco 
and  a  pipe  in  the  locker.  He  lit  the  pipe  with 
some  difficulty  and  wiped  his  face  and  hands  on 
a  piece  of  waste.  The  storm  was  settling 
down  in  real  earnest,  he  thought,  as  he 
scanned  the  fast  darkening  expanse  of  De  Poe 
Sound.  It  would  blow  all  night,  probably. 
Fairbanks  would  lose  that  launch.  The  cost 
of  it  was  over  six  hundred  dollars,  he  remem- 
bered. Fairbanks  would  have  to  pay  that 
money  to  the  launch  man. 

"I'll  bet  the  boy  can't  afford  it,"  Biggs 
said  to  himself.  "I  think  I'd  better  get  it 
back  for  him." 

So  he  hoisted  up  his  anchor,  started  the  en- 


312        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

gine  and  calmly  headed  the  Spithead  down  to- 
wards the  bar.  As  the  launch  was  swept  out 
into  the  main  channel  again  and  he  dodged  the 
first  dash  of  spray,  Biggs  glanced  up  the  hill 
towards  the  Biddleson  cottage.  He  was 
thinking  of  Dorothy  and  wondering  just  what 
she  meant  by  saying  that  she  didn't  blame 
AHcia.  "Didn't  blame  her  for  dying,"  he 
thought.  He  tried  to  think  that  Dorothy 
meant  that  Alicia  wasn't  to  be  blamed  for  lov- 
ing him,  but  he  instantly  decided  that  this  was 
probably  the  very  last  thing  that  Dorothy 
would  have  thought  of.     He  sighed. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

BIGGS  BORROWS  MRS.  THOMPSON'S  CAR 

It  was  dark  when  Biggs  finally  arrived  once 
more  off  the  Thompson  place,  this  time  with 
the  swamped  launch  towing  behind  the  Spit- 
head.  The  upper  bay  was  still  wind-swept, 
and  the  waves  were  higher,  for  the  tide  was 
coming  in  and  met  the  force  of  the  gale.  His 
own  boat  was  nearly  a  wreck  and  the  en- 
gine gasped  and  coughed  asthmatically.  It 
would  take  him  a  good  hour  to  make 
the  wharf  at  Tidewater  and  the  Richard- 
son was  nearly  due  from  Bones.  Biggs 
remembered  his  duties  as  agent  and  de- 
cided to  anchor  both  launches  off  the 
shore  in  the  eddy  and  wade  to  land  and  walk 
back  to  the  office.  So  he  shut  down  the  en- 
gine, cast  the  anchor  and  waited  until  both 
boats    swung   easily   to    its   pull.     Then    he 

313 


314        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

dipped  overside,  found  bottom  with  his  feet 
and  wearily  stamped  up  on  the  sand.  To  his 
amazement  he  saw  a  figure  standing  at  high- 
water  mark,  evidently  a  woman,  for  she  was 
wrapped  in  a  cloak  and  he  saw  the  glint  of  wet 
on  her  hair.  He  stopped  and  peered  into  the 
darkness.     A  shaky  voice  addressed  him. 

"  Aren't  you  horribly  cold,  Mr.  Biggs  ?  "  It 
was  Dorothy,  a  husky  voiced,  shivering  Dor- 
othy.    Biggs  nearly  fell  down. 

"What — what  are  you  doing  here?"  he  de- 
manded, going  close  enough  to  catch  the  pal- 
lor of  her  face. 

"I  was  waiting  for  you,"  she  said  almost 
with  a  sob.  "  I  was  so  afraid  when  you  went 
back  after  that  launch!" 

"Oh,  that  was  nothing,"  said  Biggs,  won- 
dering wildly  whether  he  was  dead  or  alive. 
"I  got  it." 

"  But  you  risked  your  life !  "  Dorothy  went 
on,  gaining  courage.  "And  I  saw  you  out 
there!  " 

Biggs  blushed  in  the  darkness.  He  felt 
the  lack  of  a  cap,  coat  and  one  shoe,  but  he 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        315 

managed  to  respond  with,  "  Most  kind  of  you, 
I'm  sure!" 

"  It  wasn't  kind  either! "  she  protested.  "  I 
was  afraid  you'd  be  drowned!" 

Biggs  took  another  step  forward  and  Dor- 
othy retreated.  He  heard  a  teU-tale  squasliing 
that  could  only  mean  one  thing:  Dorothy's  feet 
were  thoroughly  wet.  And  as  it  dawned  on 
him  that  she  had  left  a  warm  room,  and  a  hot 
fire,  and  toddies  and  blankets  and  congratula- 
tions to  walk  a  mile  and  stand  in  the  rain  and 
wind,  just  to  see  whether  he  was  coming  safely 
back,  he  gasped.  He  didn't  answer  at  first, 
for  he  was  thinking  rapidly.  When  he  had 
found  his  plan — it  took  him  ten  seconds — he 
stepped  forward  briskly,  caught  her  up  in  his 
arms  and  walked  hastily  to  the  road.  Then 
he  put  her  down  and  said,  "Can  you  walk  a 
hundred  yards?" 

"  Why  didn't  you  ask  me  that  at  first? "  said 
Dorothy  indignantly. 

"  Just  wait  here  a  moment,"  said  the  undis- 
turbed Biggs.  "  I  must  see  if  I  have  any  dry 
matches."     He   found   his   oilskin   case    and 


316        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

managed  with  chill  fingers  to  get  a  match, 
which  he  lit  and  held  to  Dorothy's  face.  He 
seemed  satisfied  with  this  extraordinary  in- 
spection, and  remarked,  "Poor  girl!  Come 
on!" 

"  I'm  going  home,"  said  Dorothy,  choking  a 
sob  back. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  walk,"  was  the  de- 
termined response.  "Just  get  in  the  shelter 
of  that  wall  here.  I'll  be  right  back."  He 
vanished  up  the  road,  leaving  Dorothy  in  a 
pitiful  state  of  bewilderment.  It  came  over 
her  what  she  had  done.  Xobody  could  under- 
stand it!  And  this  Englishman  thought  she 
was  crazy.  Cold  to  the  bone,  she  shivered  mis- 
erably, and — she  cried  into  her  wet  sleeve. 
Then  her  bravery  returned  and  she  started  as 
swiftly  as  she  could  for  home.  "He  thinks 
I'm  crazy,"  she  thought  bitterly.  "And  he's 
gone  for  help  or  something."  The  notion  of 
being  subjected  to  scrutiny  and  questions  by 
strangers  appalled  her.  She  quickened  her 
pace. 

At  that  moment  there  was  a  sound  of  cough- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        317 

ing  up  the  hill  by  the  Thompson  place,  a  bright 
light  appeared  and  resolved  itself  into  two 
lights  that  lit  up  the  road  almost  to  her  feet. 
Then  she  heard  a  rapid  chatter  whence  the 
lights  came,  a  mixture  of  excited  French  and 
English  intermingled  with  the  no  less  excited 
but  thicker  and  huskier  tones  that  sounded  as 
though  they  proceeded  from  the  throat  of  the 
war-Hke  Scot,  McLean.  But  before  she  could 
interpret  this  amazing  phenomenon,  the  lights 
came  rapidly  towards  her,  and  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son's big  car  came  to  a  stop  in  front  of  her, 
while  Biggs  jumped  out,  caught  her  in  both 
arms  and  thrust  her  into  the  seat.  Biggs  then 
jumped  in,  gave  the  engine  a  wide  throttle, 
whirled  the  car  around  and  started  for  the 
Biddleson  cottage  at  a  terrific  speed.  As  they 
swept  round  the  turn  in  the  road  the  wind  bore 
down  on  her  the  shouts  of  two  men,  Henri  pro- 
testing to  the  storm  in  pure  French  and  Mc- 
Lean roaring  Scotch  oaths  in  a  most  unpresby- 
terian  fashion.  Biggs  explained  in  a  word. 
"  The  bally  idiots  thought  I  was  trying  to  steal 
the  car  and  tried  to  stop  me." 


318        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Dorothy  settled  herself  more  primly  in  her 
seat  and  wiped  her  eyes.  "Where  are  we 
going!  '*  she  asked  weakly. 

*'  I'm  taking  you  home,"  said  Biggs  calmly, 
skidding  the  rear  wheels  at  the  next  turn  and 
catching  the  road  by  a  masterpiece  of  steer- 
ing.    "I  can't  think  what  you  did  this  for." 

Dorothy  bit  her  lip,  thankful  for  the  dark- 
ness and  said  nothing.  Her  companion  went 
on,  "You  need  a  guardian!" 

"  That's  very  nice  of  you  to  think  so,"  she 
said  shakily,  trying  to  manage  her  voice  and 
keep  it  dignified. 

"Think  so!"  echoed  Biggs,  as  the  Biddle- 
son  lights  appeared.  "  My  dear  girl,  between 
the  Fairbankses  and  the  other  bally  asses  on 
this  bay,  they'll  allow  you  to  kill  yourself  yet ! " 
He  slowed  down  the  motor. 

Dorothy  regained  all  her  poise  during  this 
chiding.  As  the  car  slipped  to  the  door  and 
the  light  fell  on  her  face  she  turned  her  dark 
eyes  on  Biggs.  "  I'm  sorry  to  have  inconven- 
ienced you,  Mr.  Biggs,"  she  said,  controlling 
her  quivering  lips  a  moment.     "But  I  really 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        319 

thought  you  might  be  drowned,  or  something, 

and  I  wanted — I  was  afraid — I "  The  lips 

quivered  in  spite  of  her.  Biggs  stared  at  her 
fascinatedly.  He  swallowed  and  then  said 
suddenly,  "What  did  you  mean  this  after- 
noon by  saying  you  'didn't  blame  Alicia'?'* 

Dorothy  saw  the  front  door  open  and  Mir- 
iam peering  out,  her  hand  over  her  eyes.  So 
she  slipped  past  Biggs  and  out  of  the  car. 
From  the  roadway  she  met  his  eyes  for  a  fleet- 
ing second.  Biggs  dropped  the  steering  wheel. 
The  blood  mounted  high  to  his  temples  and  he 
was  suddenly  aware  that  the  heavens  had 
opened.  He  started  to  leave  his  seat  in  an- 
swer to  that  silent  message.  But  Miriam 
called  down,  "Is  that  you,  Dorothy?  Where 
have  you  been,  you  crazy  child!  I've  been 
'phoning " 

Dorothy  turned  and  fled  up  the  steps. 
Biggs  gazed  after  her,  saw  Miriam's  amazed 
countenance  bent  on  him,  remembered  his  coat, 
shoe  and  cap  and  instantly  withdrew  into  the 
motor  again.  The  car  slipped  down  the  hill  by 
gravity   and  into  the  night   while    Dorothy 


820        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

stared  at  Miriam  and  met  all  demands  for  an 
explanation  by  merely  saying,  "  I  never  meant 
it  like  that !     I  never  meant  it  at  all! '' 

"Well,"  said  Biddleson,  hovering  around 
with  Harkaway  on  the  outskirts.  "  I  should 
think  you  didn't  mean  it!  That's  the  second 
time  you've  got  wet  to-day!  Of  course  j^ou 
didn't  mean  to  get  wet,  did  she,  Harkaway? 
Women  never  do  mean  anything.  Was  that 
Mr.  Thompson  in  the  car?" 

But  Miriam  silenced  him  with  a  look  and  led 
Dorothy  off  to  bed.  Later  she  came  down  and 
remarked  sympathetically  that  Dorothy  was 
to  stay  in  bed  for  a  week.  Fairbanks,  dry  and 
warm  and  miserable,  hoped  that  it  wasn't  so 
bad  as  that.  But  he  got  little  comfort  from 
anybody,  looked  at  his  watch  a  dozen  times, 
tried  to  smoke  and  finally  gave  up  and  went 
to  his  room  saying  that  while  it  was  only  eight 
o'clock,  he  thought  he  had  better  get  to  bed. 
When  he  was  gone  Miriam  stated  that  all  men 
were  silly,  and  refused  to  abate  a  word  of  this 
judgment  even  for  Harkaway. 

In  the  meantime  Biggs  had  returned  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        321 

car,  and  exchanged  defiances  with  McLean. 
Then  he  went  up  and  rang  the  Thompson 
doorbell,  asked  for  Mr.  Thompson  and  in  six 
words  thanked  that  gentleman  for  the  loan  of 
his  car.  The  banker  stared  at  Biggs's  cap- 
less  head,  his  coatless  chest  and  his  shoe- 
less foot,  all  dripping  wet,  received  his 
thanks  and  allowed  him  to  go.  Later 
Mr.  Thompson  sent  for  Henri  and  Mc- 
Lean and  heard  their  narratives.  At  the 
conclusion  he  peered  over  his  spectacles  at 
McLean  and  Henri.  "  Ahem,"  he  coughed. 
"If  Mr.  Biggs  wants  anything  again  you'd 
better  let  him  have  it.  Mr.  Biggs  is  a  man  I 
have  a  great  respect  for.  Say  nothing  of  this 
to  your  mistress!" 

At  half  past  eight  Biggs  reached  his  own 
room.  Here  he  instantly  plunged  into  boxes 
and  cases  and  drawers  and  hauled  out  various 
articles  of  apparel  till  the  room  was  littered 
with  them.  Then  he  shaved,  bathed  and 
dressed  himself  with  scrupulous  attention  to  his 
tie  and  his  cuffs.  Later  he  appeared  on  the 
wharf  and  said  to  the  wondering  captain  of 


S22        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

the  Richardson:  "  Been  unavoidably  detained 
captain.  Don't  worry  about  the  bills.  I'll  fix 
'em  up  to-night  and  let  you  have  them  in  the 
morning." 

"But!"  said  the  outraged  mariner,  "you 
haven't " 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  the  serene  Biggs.  "  I 
just  told  you  when  I  would  do  it,"  and  with 
this  vanished  into  the  storm. 

It  was  just  ten  o'clock  when  Miriam  rose  to 
bid  Harkaway  good-night.  Harkaway  had 
just  finished  telling  for  the  third  time  how 
Biggs  had  rescued  Dorothy  and  Fairbanks,  and 
Biddleson  for  the  third  time  had  shaken  his 
head  at  Miriam's  audible  disapproval  of 
Biggs.  "  I  don't  care,  Rae."  Miriam  said,  "  I 
think  Mr.  Biggs  might  have  warned  them,  or 
something.  He's  always  talking  about  that 
barometer  of  his,  anyway.  Why  didn't  he  tell 
Professor  Fairbanks  that  it  was  going  to 
storm? " 

''  I  told  them,"  said  her  husband  weakly. 

"Biggs  was  the  whole  thing,"  Harkaway 
protested  generously.     "  I  wasn't  in  it !     I'm 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        325 

sorry  for  the  professor  losing  the  launch, 
though.  It  will  make  a  hole  in  his  purse  to 
pay  for  it." 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Miriam,  as  they  went 
towards  the  door.  "Why  didn't  Mr.  Biggs 
get  the  launch,  too?" 

"Look  here,"  said  Biddleson,  feeling  that 
somehow  Biggs  was  getting  the  worst  of  hav- 
ing performed  a  heroic  rescue.  "You  aren't 
fair  to  Biggs,  Miriam.  Biggs  is  a  very  cap- 
able feUow." 

"Mr.  Biggs  is  capable  of  anything f'  was 
Miriam's  majestic  and  crushing  reply. 

At  that  moment  the  bell  rang.  "  Who  can 
it  be?"  Miriam  exclaimed.  "At  this  time  of 
night,  too.  Maybe  Mrs.  Thompson  is  sick, 
or  something." 

Her  husband  had  passed  on  into  the  hall  and 
now  opened  the  door.     Biggs  walked  in. 

"Why,  Mr.  Biggs,"  said  Miriam  coldly. 

Biggs,  not  noticing  the  chill  in  her  voice, 
nodded  affably  and  laid  his  hat  on  the  httle 
table  just  by  the  coat  rack.  Then  he  shook 
hands  with  Biddleson  and  Mrs.  Biddleson  as 


3M        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

though  he  hadn't  seen  either  of  them  for  a 
year,  and  proceeded  to  take  off  his  topcoat, 
which  he  carefully  hung  up,  putting  his  hat 
over  it. 

"Why,  you  are  all  dressed  up,"  remarked 
Biddleson,  not  knowing  what  else  to  say  under 
such  extraordinary  circumstances. 

Biggs  refused  to  notice  such  a  puerile  re- 
mark and  politely  waited  for  his  hostess  to 
lead  the  way  into  the  sitting-room.  Miriam 
paused  to  give  her  better  half  a  look  that 
seemed  to  say,  "  He  must  think  he  is  invited  to 
breakfast.  You'd  better  wind  the  clock  and 
perhaps  he  will  go."  At  least  that  is  what 
Biddleson  interpreted  the  glance  to  mean. 
But  Biggs  was  unconscious  of  this  and  calmly 
followed  Miriam  into  the  sitting-room,  where 
he  nodded  to  Harkaway  and  sat  down. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you.  Biggs,"  said  Bid- 
dleson cordially,  recovering  himself.  "  We 
wanted  to  thank  you  for  your  splendid  rescue 
of  Dorothy  and'  tlie  professor  to-day.  It  was 
fine!" 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Biggs,  blushing  slightly. 
"Where  is  Dorothy?" 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        325 

"Dorothy  has  retired,"  said  Miriam  with 
great  firmness. 

"But  I  must  see  her,"  said  Biggs  in  a  de- 
termined manner.  "  I  came  to  see  her,  don't 
you  know."  , 

"But  she  was  sick  and  cold  and  I  put  her 
to  bed,"  said  Miriam  freezingly.  "The  day 
was  entirely  too  much  for  her." 

Biggs  looked  very  much  concerned.  "Is 
she  ill?"  he  demanded. 

Biddleson  came  to  the  rescue.  "  Not  really 
ill,  Biggs,  old  man;  but  after  all  that  wreck 
and  the  rescue  and  going  out  again  and  getting 
wet  the  second  time  Miriam  thought  she  had 
better  go  to  bed.  I  know  she  will  be  sorry  to 
miss  you." 

"  Ah,  she's  not  ill,  then,"  said  Biggs,  vastly 
relieved.     "  Then  I  can  see  her?  " 

"But  she's  gone  to  bed — retired!"  said 
Miriam  on  the  verge  of  hysterics. 

Biggs  was  imdisturbed.  "  Really?  But  I 
must  see  her,"  he  insisted.  "  That's  what  I 
came  for,  don't  you  know!" 

At  this  point  Miriam  began  to  fear  that 
something  was  the  matter  with  her  visitor ;  that 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

perhaps  his  mind  had  given  away  under  the 
excitement  of  the  day.  She  detected  a  gleam 
in  his  eye  that  she  had  never  before  seen  in  the 
mild  orb  of  the  Tidewater  Navigation  Com- 
pany's agent.  Hastily  excusing  herself  she 
fled  up  the  stairs.  At  Dorothy's  door  she 
stopped.  Dorothy,  she  hoped,  was  asleep. 
But  Dorothy  herself  called  out,  "  Miriam! " 

Mrs.  Biddleson  opened  the  door  and  went 
in.  Dorothy  was  sitting  up  in  bed,  very  pale 
but  most  evidently  not  sleepy.  "  Who  was  it 
that  rang  the  bell?"  she  asked  languidly. 

"Hush!"  said  Miriam,  in  a  loud  whisper, 
closing  the  door  after  her  carefully.  "  Some- 
thing is  the  matter  with  Mr.  Biggs.  I  believe 
he  has  gone  crazy.     He's  down  there  now." 

Dorothy  sat  up  very  straight  in  bed. 
"Crazy!"  she  echoed  in  a  whisper.  "Mr. 
Biggs ! — Miriam " 

"Yes,  crazy!"  repeated  Miriam  firmly. 
"  It's  ten  o'clock  and  after,  and  he's  down  there 
all  dressed  up  and  wants  to  see  you.  He 
simply  insists  he  must  see  you — I  told  him  you 
were  in  bed  and  it  didn't  seem  to  make  any 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        327 

difference  at  all.  I  left  him  with  Rae  and 
Mr.  Harkaway,  but  I  don't  know  what  to 
think.  I  never  saw  such  a  funny  look  in  a 
man's  eyes!" 

"Does  he  still  want  to  see  me?"  demanded 
Dorothy,  blushing. 

Miriam  felt  herself  becoming  hysterical,  but 
controlled  herself  as  she  enlarged  on  the 
enormity  of  Mr.  Biggs's  persistence.  Her 
sister  listened  to  her  a  moment  and  then  got 
out  of  bed.  "  You  run  down  and  teU  him  I'll 
see  him,"  she  said  hastily.  "  Go  on  now,  hurry 
up,  and  I'll  get  on  some  things,  Miriam." 

"Never!"  said  Mrs.  Biddleson  firmly. 
"  You  stay  right  in  bed.  Wh}^  I  never  heard 
of  such  a  thing ! " 

"Probably  not,"  said  Dorothj^  slipping 
round  the  room.  "But  Mr.  Biggs  saved  my 
life  to-day  and  then  went  and  got  Fred  Fair- 
banks's  old  launch  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  And 
if  that  man  wants  to  see  me  he  shall,  even  if  it 
is  ten  o'clock  at  night!" 

"  It's  half  past  ten,"  said  Miriam  in  a  faint 
voice,  wondering  whether  it   was   all   a   bad 


328        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

dream.  She  felt  sure  it  was  when  Dorothy 
took  her  by  the  shoulders  and  thrust  her  out 
of  the  room,  saying  impatiently,  as  she  did  so, 
"  Well,  what  are  you  staying  here  for?  Can't 
you  see  I've  got  to  dress? " 

In  a  daze  Mrs.  Biddleson  slowly  descended 
the  stairs,  trying  to  think  up  some  excuse  that 
would  make  Mr.  Biggs  leave  the  house  before 
Dorothy  came  down.  The  thinking  took  a 
long  while  and  it  was  five  minutes  before  she 
opened  the  sitting-room  door. 

Biggs  looked  up  anxiously  at  her  entrance 
and  said,  "  Is  she  coming  down  soon? " 

"You'll  have  to  excuse  her  to-night,  Mr. 
[Biggs,"  said  JNIiriam,  in  what  she  meant  for  a 
soothing  tone. 

Biggs  stared  at  her  and  then  at  Biddleson. 
His  face  set  in  firmer  lines.  A  thought 
seemed  to  strike  him.  "  I  suppose  it  is  late,'* 
he  said  apologetically.  "But  I  couldn't  get 
here  any  sooner.  And  I  really  must  see  her, 
Mrs.  Biddleson!  I'll  stay  here  until  I  do,  by 
Jove!" 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        329 

In  her  distress  Miriam  appealed  with  a 
glance  to  Harkaway.  That  tried  friend  made 
a  bold  attempt.  "  Why,  Biggs,  Miss  Dorothy 
wouldn't  even  see  me,"  he  said  half  humor- 
ously. "  And  I'd  be  offended  if  she  made  an 
exception  in  your  favour.  Biggs,  old  boy." 

Biggs  remained  obdurate.  He  turned  to 
Miriam  again.  "What  did  she  say?"  he  de- 
manded. 

At  this  moment  Mrs.  Biddleson  heard  a 
sound  on  the  stairs  that  made  her  hastily  dart 
from  the  room  into  the  hall.  At  the  very  top 
of  the  flight  stood  Dorothy,  dressed  in  a  shim- 
mery  neglige  of  some  scarlet  stuff.  The 
shaded  lamps  threw  a  fairy  light  on  her,  from 
her  softly  rumpled  hair  to  her  little  red  slip- 
pers.    Miriam  gasped,  "Go  back!  Go  back!" 

Dorothy  stopped  short  and  said  in  her 
slightly  husky  voice,  "  But  Mr.  Biggs  wants  to 
see  me!" 

Those  words  reached  Biggs's  ears.  He  got 
up,  strode  past  the  astounded  Biddleson  and 
into  the  hall.     He  saw  Dorothy,  in  her  girlish 


330        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

beauty,  looking  down  on  him.  "  Ah,"  he  said, 
resting  his  hand  on  the  low  newel  post.  "  I 
simply  had  to  see  you !  " 

Dorothy  noticed  that  Biggs's  face  was  very 
earnest  and  that  he  was  nicely  dressed  and 
cleanly  shaven.  She  took  another  step  down, 
in  spite  of  Miriam's  frantic  gesture.  "  They 
all  think  you're  crazy  to  want  to  see  me,"  she 
said  gentl3^ 

Biggs  nodded.  "I  had  to,"  he  declared. 
"  You  see — it  was  that  Alicia  thing  you  said ! " 

Dorothy  carefully  withdrew  the  tip  of  one 
slipper  under  the  hem  of  the  shimmering 
gown.     "Yes?"  she  said  inquiringly. 

"I'm  a  bally  idiot,"  Biggs  went  on,  seem- 
ingly forgetful  of  the  interested  trio  that  was 
ready  to  pounce  on  him  if  he  began  to  show 
violent  symptoms.  "  But  I  must — "  he  em- 
phasised the  "must" — "know  whether  you 
feel  that  way  to  me." 

Dorothy  grew  thoughtful.  "  Do  you  mean 
you  must  know  whether  I  feel  towards  you  as 
Alicia  did?"  she  whispered  down  the  wide 
stairs. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        331 

"Yes,"  said  Biggs,  gazing  at  her  with  all 
his  eyes. 

Dorothy  bent  over  slightly  and  took  an- 
other step  down.  "Did  she  think  ever  so 
much  of  you  ? "  she  demanded  gently. 

Biggs  suddenly  swallowed.  "  I'm  not 
thinking  of  her,"  he  said  a  httle  hoarsely. 
"It's  you!" 

A  warm  wave  of  colour  flowed  into  Doro- 
thy's cheeks.  She  drew  back  a  Httle.  "  Must 
you  know  to-night? "  she  said  softly. 

"I  must!"  said  Biggs  firmly.  "I  came 
here  on  purpose.     I  had  to ! " 

In  the  silence  that  followed  Harkaway 
quietly  sought  his  coat  and  hat.  Miriam 
stared,  breathless.  Biddleson  gaped  shame- 
lessly. Dorothy  seemed  to  notice  nothing  of 
aU  this.  She  was  looking  at  Biggs.  It  was 
Biggs  alone  who  heard  her  whispered,  "  Yes! " 
He  would  have  plunged  up  the  stairway,  but 
with  that  whisper  Dorothy  vanished,  leaving 
the  shaded  lamps  to  light  only  the  empty 
landing. 

For  a  moment  Biggs  stared  up  the  stair- 


332        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

case,  and  then  he  turned  round  and  shook 
hands  with  Miriam,  who  gazed  at  him  fascinat- 
edly, as  if  she  were  hypnotised.  Biggs  then 
insisted  on  shaking  hands  with  Biddleson  and 
Harkaway.  With  his  coat  on  again,  his  hat 
in  hand,  he  bowed  and  opened  the  door.  His 
keen  blue  eyes  were  aflame  with  happiness. 
He  suddenly  burst  out  to  the  silent  three: 
"You  see,  I  simply  had  to  come!  I  came  to 
see  lier^  don't  you  know! " 

With  this  he  departed  into  the  darkness, 
and  Miriam  stared  at  her  husband,  who  stared 
back  at  her  with  such  intensity  that  neither 
saw  Harkaway  quietly  slip  out  of  the  door, 
too,  into  the  darkness. 

"Harvey  Biggs!''  said  Miriam  at  last,  in 
an  awed  voice. 

A  little,  happy  laugh  echoed  down  the 
empty  stairway.  And  "Dorothy  Biggs!'' 
was  what  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Biddleson  heard  from 
the  invisible  heights. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

BIGGS  GIVES  UP  HIS  POSITION 

A  CURIOUS  and  subtle  change  had  come  over 
Harvey  Biggs  the  next  morning.  Although 
he  saw  the  boat  off  for  Bones,  collected  his 
scattered  bills,  receipts  and  memoranda, 
tapped  the  barometer  and  generally  behaved 
as  he  always  did,  he  did  it  all  with  a  certain 
British  formality  that  would  have  reminded  a 
close  observer  of  the  days  when  Biggs  first 
came  to  Tidewater.  He  had  the  air  of  a  man 
who  was  about  to  dedicate  the  Albert  Me- 
morial, or  tender  the  keys  of  London  to  the 
Lord  INIayor,  or  take  his  seat  in  the  upper 
house  of  Parliament.  And,  for  some  reason, 
all  this  sat  very  well  on  Biggs,  too.  Putting 
on  his  gloves,  he  locked  the  office  and  going 
over  to  the  bank  asked  for  Biddleson.  That 
personage  quickly  responded,  putting  down 
his  morning  mail,  and  accepted  Biggs's  for- 

333 


334        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

mal  handshake.  "  Come  in.  Biggs,"  he  said 
genially. 

Biggs  came  in,  fomid  a  chair  near  Biddle- 
son's  desk  and  said  in  an  abrupt  manner, 
"  I've  come  to  tell  you  of  my  family,  Biddle- 
son.  As  I  am  going  to  marry  your  sister-in- 
law,  I  fancy  you're  the  guardian." 

Biddleson  promptly  disclaimed  that  respon- 
sibility. "Miriam  has  always  looked  after 
her,"  he  said  awkwardly.  "  I  really  don't 
know  anything  about  her." 

"It's  about  myself  that  I  came  to  speak," 
corrected  Biggs.  "I  come  of  good  family, 
you  would  Hke  to  know,"  he  said  with  dignity. 
"Really  good  family" — Biggs  relaxed  a 
little — "  and  all  that,  Biddleson.  I  know 
Mrs.  Biddleson  counts  on  that.  I  shouldn't 
like  her  to  think  that  Dorothy  is  going  to 
marry  a  chap  that  isn't  exactly  the  right  sort 
so  far  as  parents  and  relatives  go.  I  have 
heard  of  the  De  Poe  ancestry,  so  I  thought 
you  might  cable  over  to  London,  you  know, 
and  they'd  tell  you  about  mine." 

Biddleson    blushed.     "I    know    you    well 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        835 

enough,"  he  said.  "You're  aU  right.  Good 
job,  quiet  sort  of  feUow  and  all  that.  But 
Miriam " 

Biggs  smiled  faintly.  *'  That's  it,"  he  said. 
"I  know  your  wife  strongly  disapproves  of 
me.  Quite  right,  too,  you  know.  So  just 
cable  and  find  out.  Old  Hailey  is  our  family 
solicitor — ^fine  old  chap — ^never  told  a  lie  even 
for  a  client.  I've  got  his  address  here 
and " 

"Why  cable?"  said  Biddleson.  "Give  me 
the  address  and  I'll  write  over — ^just  to  sat- 
isfy Miriam,  of  course.     I  know " 

Biggs  was  obdmrate.  "No,  cable!  I  want 
Dorothy  to  know,  too,  that  I  haven't  gained 
her  consent  under  any  false  pretences.  I 
haven't  any  money,  but  my  people  are  all 
right,  Biddleson.  So  cable  to  Hailey  and 
he'll  tell  you,  so  that  Mrs.  Biddleson  and  Dor- 
othy will  be  certain  about  this."  Biggs 
flushed,  feeling  the  importance  of  the  transac- 
tion. 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  might  make  it  easier  for 
Dorothy,"    Biddleson    admitted    doubtfully. 


336        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

"To  tell  the  truth,  Miriam  hkes  you,  but 
she " 

Biggs  waited  politely  for  Biddleson  to  fin- 
ish. As  Biddleson  couldn't  bring  himself 
to  express  his  wife's  exact  sentiments,  he 
failed  to  conclude  his  sentence,  but  nodded  his 
head  and  assured  Biggs  again  of  his  undying 
regard. 

*'  I  want  Dorothy  to  understand  one  thing," 
Biggs  insisted.  "  I  haven't  any  money — 
never  expect  any.  But  these  other  things 
count.  Now  be  a  good  fellow  and  send  off  a 
cablegram." 

"But  what  shall  I  say?" 

Biggs  wrinkled  his  brows  and  finally 
asked  for  a  pencil.  With  this  he  was  absorbed 
for  five  minutes.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
handed  Biddleson  the  following  message: 

T,  G,  H,  Hailey, 

Chancery  Lane,  London. 

Send  Thompson  &  Co.,  Bankers,  statement 

of  birth  and  family  of  Edward  Harvey  Biggs- 

Biggsworth,  immediately. 

Biddleson. 


TTVE  GALLONS  "OF  GASOLINE        S37 

This  Biddleson  read  and  then  exclaimed, 
*'  Then  your  name  isn't  Biggs,  but  it's  Biggs- 
worth!" 

"  No,  it's  Biggs,"  said  that  individual  firmly. 
"  Nothing  but  Biggs.  But  the  family  name  is 
Biggsworth."  This  plain  elucidation  of  a 
knotty  point  brought  from  Biddleson  a  mere, 
"Ha  HA!"  which  he  was  ashamed  of  in- 
stantly. 

"All  right,"  said  Biddleson.  "That  mes- 
sage seems  to  cover  the  ground.  But  it  will 
cost  money,  you  see." 

Biggs  promptly  drew  out  his  purse.  "  I'll 
pay  it  and  an  answer,"  he  promised.  "I'll 
send  it  myself.  If  it  goes  straight  off  we 
ought  to  get  an  answer  back  by  this  afternoon." 

Biggs  put  up  his  purse,  formally  shook 
hands  with  Biddleson  and  left. 

Out  on  the  street  he  hesitated.  Should  he 
go  out  and  see  Dorothy?  He  glowed  at  the 
thought.  Then  it  struck  him  that  possibly  it 
wouldn't  be  the  correct  thing  to  do,  seeing  he 
was  on  trial  yet,  so  to  speak,  till  the  cablegram 
from  Hailey  should  put  him  right.     He  com- 


838        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

promised  by  re-entering  the  bank  and  asking 
Biddleson  in  a  loud  voice  whether  Dorothy  was 
well.  Receiving  a  satisfactory  answer  he  went 
out  and  back  to  the  office.  But  he  was  still 
restless.  A  thought  struck  him.  He  took  the 
telephone  trumpet  off  the  hook  and  called  up 
Mrs.  Biddleson.  Having  got  her,  he  asked 
for  Dorothy.  That  young  lady  promptly 
came  to  the  telephone. 

"This  is  Biggs,"  he  said.  "Did  you  catch 
cold?" 

He  heard  Dorothy's  light  laugh.  "  No,  and 
I've  just  found  out  from  Professor  Fairbanks 
that  you  returned  the  launch  in  good  order. 
The  professor  is  awfully  pleased  and  grateful." 

"Let  him  thank  you,"  said  Biggs,  rubbing 
his  forehead  with  eagerness  to  say  something 
of  what  he  felt.  "  By  Jove,  you  looked  stun- 
ning last  night." 

To  this  the  only  answer  was  an  "  Oh ! "  Biggs 
felt  the  chilliness  of  it  and  realised  that,  after 
all,  he  and  Dorothy  hadn't  explained  them- 
selves very  fully  to  each  other.  "  I  can't  talk 
over  this  bally  wire,"  he  complained.     "But 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

IVe  cabled  to  London  to  the  family  solicitor 
for  my  pedigree.  I  hope  it  will  convince  your 
sister  that  I'm  all  right,  Dorothy.  But  I 
haven't  any  money!  I  think  it  might — I  sup- 
posed that — I  fancied  you  might  not  veant  me 
to  call  till  that  was  settled." 

Dorothy's  laugh  sounded  through  the  tele- 
phone again,  and  Biggs  smiled  as  he  heard, 
"  Silly  boy!  I'm  not  going  to  marry  your 
family — didn't  you  ask  me  to  marry  you? — 
and  if  you'll  walk  out  this  way  I'll  meet  you 
on  the  beach.     The  storm  is  all  over  and '* 

"I'm  putting  on  my  hat,"  said  Biggs 
promptly  and  hung  up  the  receiver.  As  he 
left  the  office  he  tapped  the  barometer  thought- 
fully. It  almost  immediately  registered  31.98, 
the  highest  ever  recorded  by  that  invaluable  in- 
strument. Old  Mr.  Hardy,  just  in  from 
Harkaway's  office,  stopped  to  inquire  about 
the  weather  from  the  departing  Biggs. 

"  It  is  the  highest  I've  ever  seen  it,"  said 
Biggs  calmly.  "  It  will  never  be  bad  weather 
again." 

Hardy  stared  at  the  now  vanishing  Biggs 


340        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

and  smiled.  Harkaway  had  told  him  some- 
thing of  the  events  of  the  day  before.  He 
knew  nothing  of  Dorothy;  but  he  bore  in  his 
breast  pocket  a  deed  to  the  whole  Harkaway 
Addition,  which  he  was  just  going  down  to 
have  recorded.  He  continued  to  smile,  think- 
ing of  the  home  he  intended  to  build  on  its 
lovely  prospect. 

Biggs  got  back  to  his  office  just  in  time  for 
the  early  afternoon  boat  and  amazed  the  mas- 
ter of  the  Richardson  by  enjoining  him  care- 
fully to  ask  the  operator  at  Bones  for  a  cable 
message  from  England,  to  be  addressed  to  Mr. 
Thompson,  the  banker. 

"But  it  will  be  telephoned  over,  as  usual," 
said  the  captain.     "  What's  the  rush? " 

Biggs  thrust  him  bodily  across  the  gang- 
plank. "  You  bring  me  that  message,"  he  said 
quietly,  "  or  I'll  sink  your  bally  boat  and  never 
give  you  another  receipt  for  baggage!" 

In  the  afternoon  Biddleson  met  Harkawaj'" 
on  the  street  and  they  stopped  to  chat  about 
the  Durable.  Harkaway  seemed  dissatisfied 
with  it,  and  blamed  the  carburetor.     "I'll  sell 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        341 

my  half  to  anybody,"  he  said  morosely.  "  We 
got  stung.  It's  the  fault  of  that  catalogue  of 
yours,  too." 

"  That's  a  first-class  machine,"  said  Biddle- 
son  warmly.  "  Look  at  the  fun  we've  had  out 
of  it  already.  Haven't  you  got  your  money's 
worth " 

The  expression  on  his  old  friend's  face 
stopped  him.  "I  just  sold  my  property,'* 
Harkaway  responded.  "Hardy  wanted  it 
badly  and  I  had  no  use  for  it,  so  I  let  him  have 
it." 

Biddleson  regarded  him  silently,  looked 
away  and  then  laughed,  this  time  with  an  emo- 
tion that  even  the  abhorred  "Ha  HAI" 
couldn't  conceal  from  Harkaway. 

"Biggs  is  a  good  fellow,"  said  Harkaway 
earnestly. 

"Miriam  doesn't  like  him,"  said  Biddleson, 
solemnly. 

Harkaway  shook  his  head.  "He's  a  fine 
chap,"  he  insisted  generously.  "But — after 
all — Bid,  I  like  your  wife  above  all  women!" 

Biddleson  instantly  became  serious.     "  She's 


342        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

a  fine  woman.  Hark,"  he  agreed.  "And  I 
never  was  quite  in  her  class.  But  I'd  like  to 
see  her  happy  about  Dorothy.  Dorothy  is  her 
little  sister,  you  know,  and  she  feels  this  bus- 
iness terribly.  It  wouldn't  have  been  so  bad  if 
you  hadn't  been  there — and  on  the  stairs,  too ! " 
He  was  silent  a  moment  and  then  broke  into 
a  smile.  "  Biggs  is  capable  of  anything,  Mir- 
iam says.     Ha  HA!" 

Harkaway  laughed,  too.  Then  a  thought 
struck  him.  "  By  the  way,  how's  the  profes- 
sor?" 

Biddleson's  face  fell.  "He's  going  away 
to-morrow.  He  didn't  know  anything  about 
last  night  till  breakfast  this  morning  when  Mir- 
iam told  him.  Dorothy  wasn't  down  yet  and 
you  know  Miriam  couldn't  sleep  for  thinking 
about  it.  So  she  told  him  and  the  professor 
nearly  fainted  over  his  eggs,  choked  on  his  cof- 
fee, 3^ou  know.  You  never  saw  such  a  wilted 
man  in  your  life.  And  then  Dorothy  came  in 
and  he  tried  to  congratulate  her  and  she  pretty 
nearly  kissed  him.  I  teU  you.  Hark," — Bid- 
dleson's face  grew  still  more  solemn — "Dor- 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        343 

othy  oughtn't  to  do  those  things !  Told  Fair- 
banks she  thought  he  was  the  finest  chap  in 
the  world  and  insisted  on  getting  him  six  fresh 
slices  of  toast!" 

Harkaway  grinned.  "I  must  go  up  and 
get  her  to  tell  me  about  it,"  he  remarked. 
"Lucky  Fairbanks!     Lovely  Dorothy!" 

"  Come  to  dinner,"  said  Biddleson  earnestly. 

"Will  Biggs  be  there?" 

"  No-o-o.  Miriam  wouldn't  ask  him.  Said 
he  was  entirely  too  presumptuous.  And  she 
used  to  like  Biggs,  too,"  he  added  reflectively. 

"I  can't  come  after  all,"  said  Harkaway 
hastily.     "  But  I'll  come  some  other  time." 

"Better  come,"  urged  Biddleson.  "Help 
me  out ! " 

Harkaway  smiled.  "  No,  if  the  professor  is 
going  away  to-morrow  I  must  have  him  to  din- 
ner with  me  to-night,"  he  said.  "  You  know  I 
promised  Dorothy  I'd  be  nice  to  him.  So  I'll 
have  him  over  to  my  boarding  house  and  we'll 
come  up  later.     So  long! " 

"  Harkaway  is  a  fine  chap,"  thought  Biddle- 
son, as  he  returned  to  the  bank. 


344        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

Later  Harkaway  was  smiling  into  the  drawn 
face  of  the  professor  and  trying  to  make  light 
of  the  day  before.  Fairbanks,  being  a  man, 
accepted  this  cheerfulness  and  played  up  to  it. 
And  so  they  went  off  in  the  Durable,  with  old 
man  Hardy  in  the  tonneau,  to  take  a  last  view, 
so  far  as  Harkaway  was  concerned,  of  Hark- 
away 's  Addition. 

It  was  half  past  eight  when  Biggs  rang  the 
doorbell  of  the  Biddleson  cottage  that  night. 
Dorothy  herself  came  to  the  door,  kissed  him 
and  took  his  hat  and  coat.  "  I  understand 
that  over  in  England  the  wives  always  have  to 
wait  on  their  husbands,"  she  remarked  archly. 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  said  Biggs,  reddening.  "  You 
don't  really  mean  that." 

Dorothy  bowed  low.  "Permit  me  to  an- 
nounce you,"  she  said,  flinging  the  sitting-room 
door  open.  "Miriam,  here  is  Mr.  Harvey 
Biggs!" 

Miriam  got  up,  as  pleasantly  as  she  could, 
and  shook  hands.  Biggs  sat  down,  very  red, 
and  seemed  on  the  point  of  saying  something 
important.     But  the  result  of  his  effort  was 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        34-5 

merely  to  state  that  the  barometer  was  very 
high.  Miriam  accepted  this  graciously,  and 
Biggs  was  encouraged.  "  I  hoped  to  bring  up 
a  cable  message,"  he  said  abruptly.  "From 
my  family  in  England,  you  know.  But  it 
didn't  come." 

Miriam  was  interested,  as  her  husband  had 
said  nothing  about  Biggs's  visit  to  the  bank  in 
the  morning.  Biggs  went  on,  "  I  got  your  hus- 
band to  cable  the  solicitors  and  ask  about  my 
people,"  he  explained.  "I  know  you're  par- 
ticular about  family  and  all  that — quite  proper, 
too.  And  so  I  asked  your  husband  to  cable 
across  and  get  some  information.  Really,  my 
people  are  all  right,  Mrs.  Biddleson." 

Miriam  refused  to  commit  herself.  Dor- 
othy frowned,  her  pretty  eyes  on  her  lover. 
"Harvey,  I'm  ashamed  of  you!"  she  said. 

Biggs  grew  redder  than  ever.  "  Oh,  I  sa}% 
by  Jove,"  he  protested. 

"I  am!"  said  Dorothy  firmly.  "I  allow 
you  to  make  love  to  me  up  a  stairway  and  pro- 
pose to  me  while  I'm  in  my  dressing  gown, 
and  then  you  think  you  have  to  explain  about 


346        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

your  family.  I'm  not  marrying  your  family. 
And  if  I  marry  you  that  makes  it  all  right  I " 

Biggs  wouldn't  hear  of  this  and  Dorothy 
realised  that  she  had  carried  a  jest  too  far. 
Biggs  didn't  make  it  plain  who  his  people  were, 
but  he  seemed  to  emphasise  their  goodness  and 
respectabiHty.  To  this  Dorothy  listened 
quietl}'.  Then  she  said,  mischievously,  "  Have 
you  any  money,  Harvey? " 

Biggs  wasn't  at  all  surprised  at  such  a  ques- 
tion.    "  Not  a  bally  cent,"  he  affirmed. 

"Well,  I'll  marry  you  anyhow,"  siaid  Dor- 
othy, dimpling. 

"But,  Dorothy!"  said  Miriam  coldly. 
"You  must  be  supported  in  the  accustomed 
style!" 

What  answer  to  this  was  on  Dorothy's 
tongue  none  ever  knew — except  possibly 
Biggs.  For  the  bell  rang  and  Harkaway  and 
Fairbanks  appeared.  When  their  coats  were 
off  and  they  had  looked  at  each  other  the 
requisite  number  of  times  they  consented  to 
enter  the  sitting-room  and  there  offered  their 
congratulations  to  the  calm  Biggs  and  the 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        347 

blushing  Dorothy.  Miriam  surveyed  them 
pleasantly  and  mentally  resolved  that,  outside 
of  her  own  family,  no  one  should  ever  know 
that  she  disapproved  of  Biggs.  Dorothy  was 
committed,  and,  she  admitted  sorrowfully, 
deeply  and  wonderfully  in  love.  So  she  paid 
Biggs  so  much  attention  in  the  next  half  hour 
that  he  welcomed  Biddleson's  arrival. 

Biddleson  came  in,  rubbed  his  hands,  glanced 
around  and  remarked  with  an  air,  "  Quite  a 
happy  family,  I  declare ! " 

The  echo  to  this  ineptitude  was  another  ring 
at  the  doorbell.     Mr.  Thompson  was  shown  in. 

The  banker  seemed  flurried  and  embar- 
rassed. He  greeted  Miriam  and  shook  hands 
solemnly  all  aroimd.  Then  he  cleared  his 
throat.  "  I  have  a  message  for  Mr.  Biggs,"  he 
said  diffidently.  "Could  I  see  Mr.  Biggs  a 
moment?'* 

It  appeared  (by  unanimous  consent)  that  he 
could.  He  withdrew  himself  and  Biggs  into 
the  hall,  whence  the  others  heard  various  mut- 
terings,  followed  by  Biggs's  voice  saying, 
"  Poor  DoUie !     I  must  tell  Dorothy." 


348        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

So  Biggs  came  in,  flourishing  a  piece  of  blue 
paper  which  jMr.  Thompson  explained  had 
been  brought  down  from  Bones  just  that  mo- 
ment by  the  operator  in  a  row  boat. 
"  Thought  it  was  important,"  he  said.  "  Said 
he  was  a  friend  of  Biggs's  and  so  brought  it 
over."  Mr.  Thompson  repeated  the  "  brought 
it  over  "  several  times  while  Dorothy  was  read- 
ing the  message,  which  Biggs  handed  her 
quietly. 

Dorothy  read  it  and  re-read  it,  and  then 
lifted  dewy  eyes  to  Biggs.  "I'm  so  sorry!" 
she  said. 

"Poor  Dolhe!"  said  Biggs  warmly. 
"Poor  beggar!" 

Miriam  looked  her  curiosity  and  he  instantly 
handed  the  message  to  her.  "The  people 
never  told  the  bally  solicitors  my  address,"  he 
explained.  "  So  when  ]Mr.  Biddleson  cabled 
them  this  morning  they  took  the  opportunity  of 
sending  me  word  this  way." 

"But  I  don't  understand,"  said  Miriam, 
holding  the  paper  to  the  light. 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        S49 

"  Read  it  out  loud,"  suggested  her  husband. 
Miriam  obeyed. 

London,  September  1st. 
Messrs.  Thompson's,  Bankers, 
Tidewater. 
Inform      Honourable      Edward      Harvey 
Biggs-Biggsworth   his    brother    Lord   Adol- 
phus  fatally  ill.     Credit  one  thousand  pounds 
London  &   San  Francisco  Bank.     Draw  on 
Earl  of  Brockhurst  if  needed.     Come  home. 

Hailey. 

"Now  what  does  that  mean?"  said  Miriam, 
completely  at  sea  for  once. 

All  looked  at  Biggs.  He  flushed  a  still 
deeper  red.  "  The  Earl  of  Brockhurst  is  the 
Governor,"  he  explained  gravely.  "  Adolphus 
is  my  brother,  the  heir  to  the  title  and  the  prop- 
erty. He  never  married,  you  know.  That 
says  he  is  dying  and  so  I  must  go  home  and 
help  out." 

Miriam  dived  at  the  root  of  the  matter 
*'  But  who  are  you?  "  she  demanded. 

"I  suppose  I'm  the  next  Earl  of  Brock- 


350        FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE 

hurst,"  said  Biggs  meekly.  Then  he  caught 
Dorothy's  velvet  eyes.  "  Poor  Adolphus !  But 
I'm  glad  after  all.  I'm  glad.  I  hope  you 
don't  mind,  my  dear,  but  you've  got  to  be 
Lady  Biggsworth  now,  and  later  on  you'll  be 
the  Countess  of  Brockhurst." 

"Poor  Alicia!"  said  Dorothy  with  soft  lips. 
Biggs  gave  her  a  smile  that  told  her  by  that 
word  she  had  warmed  his  heart,  and  forever 
made  herself  worthy  of  any  future  title  and  al- 
legiance. But  Miriam  was  dazed  and  de- 
manded further  details.  Biggs  was  unable  to 
give  any.  "  I  told  Dorothy  about  it,"  he  said 
blankly. 

Dorothy  blushed  and  shook  her  head. 
"Dear  boy,"  she  said  softly,  "you  never  once 
told  me  your  father  was  an  earl." 

\"  But  I  told  you  my  people  were  all  right,'* 
he  contended. 

Mr.  Thompson  broke  the  silence  by  offering 
his  farewells.  Then  he  turned  to  Biggs.  "If 
my  bank  can  offer  you  any  service,  command 
me,"  he  said  formally.  He  put  away  his  spec- 
tacles over  which  he  had  been  peering  at  Biggs 


FIVE  GALLONS  OF  GASOLINE        351 

and  Dorothy,  and  added  with  a  cough,  "  Aliem! 
Even  to  my  wife's  automobile." 

Biggs  smiled.  "Thanks,  if  you'll  give  me 
a  lift  toward  the  office,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I 
must  get  back,  I  promised  the  captain  that  I'd 
have  his  bills  made  out  to-night." 

"But  you  don't  need  to  work  any  more!" 
said  Miriam. 

Biggs  went  over  and  shook  her  hand. 
"  You  see,  I'm  paid  to  do  it,"  he  explained,  "  so 
I  must  do  it."  Then  he  went  to  Dorothj'^  and 
bowed.  "May  I  come  to  breakfast?"  he 
asked  humbly. 


FINIS 


A  FEW  OF 

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NEW,  CLEVER.  ENTERTAININa 

GRET :  The  Story  of  a  Pagan.  By  Beatrice  Mantle.  Illustrated 
by  C.  M.  Relyea, 
The  wild  free  life  of  an  Oregon  lumber  camp  furnishes  the  setting  for  this 
strong  original  story,  Gret  is  the  daughter  of  the  camp  and  is  utterly  con- 
tent with  the  wild  life— until  love  comes.  A  fine  book,  unmarred  by  con- 
vention. 

OLD  CHESTER  TALES.     By  Margaret  Deland.     Illustrated 
by  Howard  Pyle. 

A  vivid  yet  dehcate  portrayal  of  characters  in  an  old  New  England  town. 

Dr.  Lavendar's  fine,  kindly  wisdom  is  brought  to  bear  upon  the  lives  of 
all,  permeating  the  whole  volume  like  the  pungent  odor  of  pine,  healthful 
and  life  giving.  "  Old  Chester  Tales  "  will  surely  be  among  the  books  that 
abide. 

THE  MEMOIRS  OF  A  BABY.    By  Josephine  Daskam.    Illus- 
trated by  F.  Y.  Cory. 

The  dawning  intelligence  of  the  baby  was  grappled  with  by  its  great  aunt, 
an  elderly  maiden,  whose  book  knowledge  ofbaoies  was  something  at  which 
even  the  infant  himself  winked.    A  delicious  bit  of  humor. 

REBECCA  MARY.     By  Annie  Hamilton  Donnell.     Illustrated 
by  EHzabeth  Shippen  Green. 
The  heart  tragedies  of  tliis  little  girl  with  no  one  near  to  share  them,  art 
told  with  a  delicate  art,  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  needs  of  the  childisL 
heart  and  a  humorous  knowledge  of  the  workings  of  the  childish  mind. 

THE  FLY  ON  THE  WHEEL.    By  Katherine  CecU  Thurston- 
Frontispiece  by  Harrison  Fisher. 

An  Irish  story  of  real  power,  perfect  in  development  and  showing  a  true 
conception  of  the  spirited  Hibernian  character  as  displayed  in  the  tragic  as 
well  as  the  tender  phases  of  life. 

THE  MAN  FROM  BRODNBY'S.   By  Geoii^e  Barr McCutcheon. 
Illustrated  by  Harrison  Fisher. 

An  island  in  the  South  Sea  is  the  setting  for  this  entertaining  tale,  and 
an  all-conquering  hero  and  a  beautiful  princess  figure  in  a  most  comphcated 
plot.    One  of  Mr.  McCutcheon's  best  books. 

TOLD  BY  UNCLE  REMUS.    By  Joel  Chandler  Harris.    Illus- 
trated  by  A.  B.  Frost,  J.  M.  Conde  and  Frank  Verbeck. 

Again  Uncla  Remus  enters  the  fields  of  childhood,  and  leads  anothet 
little  boy  to  that  non-locatable  land  called  "  Brer  Rabbit's  Laughing 
Place,"  and  again  the  quaint  animals  spring  into  active  life  and  play  their 
parts,  for  the  edification  of  a  small  but  appreciative  audience. 

THE  CLIMBER.    By  E.  F.  Benson.     With  frontispiece. 

An  unsparing  analysis  of  an  ambitious  woman's  soul— a  woman  who 
believed  that  in  social  supremacy  she  would  find  happiness,  and  who  finds 
instead  the  utter  despair  of  one  who  has  chosen  the  things  that  pass  away, 

LYNCH'S  DAUGHTER.    By  Leonard  Merrick.    Illustrated  by 
Geo.  Brehm, 
A  story  of  to-day,  telling  how  a  rich  girl  acquires  ideals  of  beautiful  and 
simple  living,  and  of  men  and  love,  quite  apart  from  the  teachings  of  her 
father,  "  Old  Man  Lynch  ".of.Wali  St.    True  to  life,  clever  in  treatment. 

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THE  MUSIC  MASTER.    By  Charles  Klein.      Illustrated  ! 
by  John  Rae.  : 
This  marvelously  vivid  narrative  turns  upon  the  search  of  a  Ger-  J 
nan  musician  in  JNew  York  for  his  little  daughter.    Mr.  Klein  has  | 
well  portrayed  his  pathetic  struggle  with  poverty,  his  varied  expe- 
riences in  endeavoring  to  meet  the  demands  of  a  public  not  trained  , 
to  an  appreciation  of  the  classic,  and  his  final  great  hour  when,  in 
the  rapidly  shifting  events  of  a  big  city,  his  little  daughter,  now  a 
beautifnl  youn^  woman,  is  brought  to  his  very  door.    A  superb  bit  j 
of  fiction,  palpitating  with   the   life  of  the  great  metropolis.    The  i 
play  in  which  David  Warfi  eld  scored  his  highest  success.  '' 

DR.    LAVENDAR'S    PEOPLE.      By    Margaret   Deland.  , 

Illustrated  by  Lucius  Hitchcock.  , 
Mrs.  Deland  won  so  many  friends  through  Old  Chester  Tales 

that  this  volume  needs  no  introduction  beyond  its  title.    The  lova-  j 

ble  doctor  is  more  ripened  in  this  later  book,  and  the  simple  come-  ' 

dies  and  tragedies  of  the  old  village  are  told  with  dramatic  charm.  ' 

OLD  CHESTER  TALES.  By  Mat^aret  Deland.  Illustrated 

by  Howard  Pyle.  > 

Stories  portraying  with  delightful  humor  and  pathos  a  quaint  pec-  J 

pie  in  a  sleepy  old  town.    Dr.  Lavendar,  a  very  human  and  lovable  I 

"preacher,"  is  the  connecting  link  between  these  dramatic  stories  I 

from  life.  '■ 

HE  FELL  IN  LOVE  WITH  HIS  WIFE.    By  E.  P.  Roe.         ; 

With  frontispiece.  ' 

The  hero  is  a  farmer — a  man  with  honest,  sincere  views  of  life. 
Beieft  of  his  wife,  his  home  is  cared  for  by  a  succession  of  domes-  ' 

tics  of  varying  degrees  of  inefficiency  until,  from  a  most  ujipromis- 
ing  source,  comes  a  young  woman  who  not  only  becomes  his  wife 
but  commands  his  respect  and  eventually  wins  his  love.  A  bright 
and  delicate  romance,  revealing  on  both  sides  a  love  that  surmounts  j 

all  difiiculties  and  survives  the  censure  of  friends  as  well  as  the  bit-  ^ 

temess  of  enemies.  ! 

THE  YOKE.    By  Elizabeth  Miller. 

Against  the  historical  background  of  the  days  when  the  children  , 

of  Israel  were  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt,  the  author  has  \ 

sketched  a  romance  of  compelling  charm.  A  biblical  novel  as  great 
as  any  since  "  Ben  Hur." 

SAUL  OF  TARSUS.    By  Elizabeth  Miller.    Illustrated  by 

Andrd  Castaigne.  ' 

The  scenes  of  this  story  are  laid  in  Jerusalem,  Alexandria,  Rome  1 

and  Damascus.    The  Apostle  Paul,  the  Martyr  Stephen,  Herod  | 

A.grippa  and  the  Emperors  Tiberius  and   Caligula  are  among  the  , 

mighty  figures  that  move  through  the  pages.     Wonderful  descrip- 
tions, and  a  love  story  of  the  purest  and  noblest  type  mark  this  i 
most  remarkable  religious  romance. 

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BRUVVER  JIM'S  BABY.     By  Philip  Verrill  Mighels. 

An  uproariously  funny  story  of  a  tiny  mining  settlement  in  die 
West,  which  is  shaken  to  the  very  roots  by  the  suddenpossession 
of  a  baby,  found  on  the  plains  by  one  of  its  residents.  The  town  is 
as  disreputable  a  spot  as  the  gold  fever  was  ever  responsible  for, 
and  the  coming  of  that  baby  causes  the  upheaval  of  every  rooted 
tradition  of  the  place.  Its  christening,  the  problems  of  its  toys  and 
its  illness  supersede  in  the  minds  of  the  miners  all  thought  of  earthy 
treasure. 

THE  FURNACE  OF  GOLD.     By  Phuip  VerriU  Mighels, 
author  of  "  Bruvver  Jim's  Baby."  Illustrations  by  J.  N- 
Marchand. 
An  accurate  and  informing  portrayal  of  scenes,  types,  and  condi- 
tions of  the  mining  districts  in  modem  Nevada. 

The  book  is  an  out-door  story,  clean,  exciting,  exemplifying  no- 
bility and  courage  of  character,  and  bravery,  and  heroism  in  the  sort 
of  men  and  women  we  all  admire  and  wish  to  know. 

THE  MESSAGE.  By  Louis  Tracy.  Illustrations  by  Joseph 
C.  Chase. 
A  breezy  tale  of  how  a  bit  of  old  parchment,  concealed  in  a  figure- 
aead  from  a  sunken  vessel,  comes  into  the  possession  of  a  pretty 
girl  and  an  army  man  during  regatta  week  in  the  Isle  of  Wight. 
Thi?  U  the  message  and  it  enfolds  a  mystery,  the  development  of 
which  the  reader  will  follow  with  breathless  interest. 

THE  SCARLET  EMPIRE.  By  David  M.  Parry.  lUus- 
trations  by  Hermann  C.  Wall. 

A  young  socialist,  weary  of  life,  plunges  into  the  sea  and  awakes 
m  the  lost  island  of  Atlantis,  known  as  the  Scarlet  Empire,  where 
a  social  democracy  is  in  full  operation,  granting  every  man  a  living 
but  limiting  food,  conversation,  education  and  marriage. 

The  hero  passes  through  an  enthrallinq:  love  affair  and  other  ad< 
ventures  but  finally  returns  to  his  own  New  York  world. 

THE  THIRD  DEGREE.  By  Charles  Klein  and  Arthur 
Homblow.    Illustrations  by  Clarence  Rowe. 

A  novel  which  exposes  the  abuses  in  this  country  of  the  police 
system. 

The  son  of  an  aristocratic  New  York  family  marries  a  woman 
socially  beneath  him,  but  of  strong,  womanly  qualities  that,  latef 
on,  save  the  man  from  the  tragic  consequences  of  a  dissipated  life. 

The  wife  believes  in  his  innocence  and  her  wit  and  good  sens© 
help  her  to  win  against  the  tremendous  odds  imposed  by  law. 

-HE  THIRTEENTH  DISTRICT  By  Brand  WhitlocK. 
A  realistic  western  stoiy  of  love  and  politics  and  a  searching  study 
of  their  influence  on  character.  The  author  shows  with  extraordi- 
nary vitality  of  treatment  the  tricks,  the  heat,  the  passion,  the  tii^ 
mult  of  the  political  arena  the  triumph  and  strength  of  love 


Grosset  &  DuNLAP,  526  West  26th  St.,  New  York 


A  FEW  OF 

GROSSET  &   DUNLAP'S 
Great  Books  at  Little  Prices 

WHEN  A  MAN  MARRIES.  By  Mary  Roberts  RineharL 
Illustrated  by  Harrison  Fisher  and  Mayo  Bunker. 

A  young  artist,  whose  wife  had  receritiy  divorced  him,  finds  that 
a  visit  is  due  from  his  Aunt  Selina,  an  elderly  lady  having  ideas 
about  things  quite  apart  from  the  Bohemian  set  in  which  her 
nephew  is  a  shining  light.  The  way  in  which  matters  are  tempo- 
rarily adjusted  forms  the  motif  of  the  story. 

A  farcical  extravaganza,  dramatized  under  the  title  of  "Seven  Days'* 

THE  FASHIONABLE  ADVENTURES  OF  JOSHUA 
CRAIG.  By  David  Graham  Phillips.  Illustrated. 
A  young  westerner,  uncouth  and  unconventional,  appears  in 
political  and  social  life  in  Washington.  He  attains  power  in  poli- 
tics, and  a  young  woman  of  the  exclusive  set  becomes  his  wife,  un- 
dertaking his  education  in  social  amenities. 

"  DOC."  GORDON.  By  Mary  E.  WUkins-Freeman.  Illus- 
trated by  Frank  T.  Merrill. 
Against  the  familiar  background  of  American  town  life,  the 
author  portrays  a  group  of  people  strangely  involved  in  a  mystery. 
"Doc."  Gordon,  the  one  physician  of  the  place.  Dr.  Elliot,  h'.s 
assistant,  a  beautiful  woman  and  her  altogether  charming  daughtej 
are  all  involved  in  the  plot.     A  novel  of  great  interest. 

HOLY  ORDERS.     By  Marie  Corelli. 

A  dramatic  story,  in  which  is  pictured  a  clergyman  in  touch  witb 
society  people,  stage  favorites,  simple  village  folk,  powerful  finan- 
ciers and  others,  each  presenting  vital  problems  to  this  man  "in 
holy  orders  " — problems  that  we  are  now  struggling  with  in  America. 

KATRINE.    By  Elinor  Macartney  Lane.   With  frontispiece. 

Katrine,  the  heroine  of  this  story,  is  a  lovely  Irish  girl,  of  lowly 
birth,  but  gifted  with  a  beautiful  voice. 

The  narrative  is  based  on  the  facts  of  an  actual  singer's  career, 
and  the  viewpoint  throughout  is  a  most  exalted  one. 

THE   FORTUNES    OF  FIFL    By  Molly  Elliot  Seawell. 
Illustrated  by  T.  de  Thulstrup. 
A  story  of  life  in  France  at  the  time  of  the  first  Napoleon.    Fifi, 
a  glad,  mad  little  actress  of  eighteen,  is  the  star  performer  in  a  third 
rate  Parisian  theatre.    A  story  as  dainty  as  a  Watteau  painting. 

SHE  THAT  HESITATES.  By  Harris  Dickson.  Illus- 
trated  by  C.  W.  Relyea. 

The  scene  of  this  dashing  romance  shifts  from  Dresden  to  St. 
Petersburg  in  the  reign  of  Peter  the  Great,  and  then  to  New  Orleans. 

The  hero  is  a  French  Soldier  of  Fortune,  and  the  princess,  who 
hesitates — ^but  you  must  read  the  story  to  know  how  she  that  hesitates 
may  be  lost  and  yet  saved. 

Grosset  &  DuNLAP,  526  West  26th  St.,  New  York 


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